The Unveiling (14 page)

"True, we didn't have building materials like these on Tagget."  On her home planet they lived in dome-shaped buildings made of what would be considered a jelly-like substance here on Earth. The bright colored spheres decorated the landscape, pinks, oranges, and teals.

"Do you ever miss Tagget?" she asked.

"All the time. It seems like I never really got a chance to experience it as an adult."

"When did you end your training?" she asked.

"At nineteen and that was at an accelerated pace."

"And then you took over the military?"

"No, I studied under the current general for a few years after that. It was a tumultuous time with the death of my parents and Phelan stepping up. We didn’t want to change everything at once."

“It’s always hard taking over for someone who's been a fixture for years. Because you can’t be them and you have to find your own way to lead … fast."

He laughed.

"That's something you'd understand too, isn't it? When I spend time with you I often forget you're the Star Maiden."

"A lot of preconceived notions come with the title."

"Well, to be fair, you are cloaked in mystery."

She smirked. "Blessed with power from the stars, able to see the future, what's there to be confused about?" She winked.

"That's a very dumbed down version."

"Maybe just a little." She held her thumb and her pointer finger an inch apart.  She took a sip of her water and browsed the menu they'd been brought.

"Are we splitting this one too?" she asked.

"I think we can pick our own with this."

"Good, ‘cause something caught my eye."

"Which one?"

"The filet mignon with marble potatoes, carrots and parsnip puree."

"That does sound good. I'm thinking about the roasted rack of lamb with garlic mashed potatoes and peas."

They ordered their meals when their waiter, Todd, returned. The service was impeccable, and the food was divine.  Still, this was her favorite portion of the day, dessert.  She had a sweet tooth she often curbed, but today was about splurging. Seated across from Bastien with the remnants of a giant slice of Key Lime and a cup of Caramel Latte in front of her, she patted her belly.

"Okay, I'm stuffed."

"You sure? ‘Cause we can order you another slice."

She moaned. "No!"

He laughed. "You did good. I'm impressed with how much you packed away."

"I'll take that as a compliment, but for future reference a lady does not like to have her eating habits referred to as
packed away."

"Got it." He pushed away his plate. "I had a good time to today."

"Me too."  The awkwardness that had been lacking settled in, and she could practically see the smoke coming out of his ear as he tried to figure out what to say. Imaginary crickets played tiny violins as the silence stretched between them.  S
he visualized them in her mind, the little insects playing their tiny violins and breaking the silence that stretched between them.
It always came back to his decision to undergo The Purge and the hurt the thought caused.
At least I'm making an effort to get over it now.
That night at Zasha and Phelan's she'd gotten a glimpse of what her future could be. It was what they both deserved after a lifetime of serving their people. When she thought about all he'd sacrificed to keep his people safe it was humbling, admirable even. It just sucked being the one to suffer for the cause when it wasn't a decision you had a hand in making.

"Do you think we could do something like this again … soon?”

"I think we could swing it." 

"Great." She couldn't help but think his relief was a bit adorable. The intensity with them hadn't faded, but today they seemed to feed it in a different way.
And if you want to keep it that way you better get out of here.
The inside of her thighs grew warm, and her breasts began to feel heavy.

"We'll make plans soon. I actually have some things I need to take care of tonight, and if I stay here any longer that won't happen."  Rivka gave him a slow once over. Had his shoulders always looked so broad in that sweater?  His nostrils flared, and his eyes darkened with lust. He cleared his throat.

"You're right. You should head out of here."

"Thank you again for the day. It was nice." She rose to her feet, grabbed her clutch and walked off as slowly as she dared. The Wanting was like a flame that never fully extinguished and flared at will. As she stepped into the cold she turned to look over her shoulder one last time. The goofy grin Bastien wore threw her off kilter. He looked like he'd won a million bucks. A smile snuck up onto her lips. A warm feeling spread in her chest before she pushed it aside. 

****

I'm alive!
Tavel pried his eyes open. His vision wavered as water welled up in his eyes and slid down onto his face. His body ached like he'd been in a fight, and his throat was dry. He swallowed to moisten his mouth and did a mental check of his bones. Nothing felt broken or misaligned. Gritting his teeth he forced his body into a sitting position. His muscles cried out in protest, and he moaned. Head bowed he breathed through the pain. A few moments later he had gathered himself enough to gain his feet. Hunched over he hobbled his way to the adjoining bathroom. His heart missed a beat. The face looking back at him was one he hadn't seen since he left Tagget. He brought his shaky hands up to examine his skin. It was smooth and supple. His hair was restored to its original blond. The wrinkles around his eyes and his mouth were gone completely.
After all this time I got my miracle!
He threw his head back and laughed. He'd get all of his
children
started on his pills. An unending supply to sustain him, assuming he even needed it. His brain worked overtime as he thought about how he could make produce the pills in mass quantity. Once he got himself stabilized he could tweak the formula to make them just like him.
A band of super beings to command! Oh yes, this was worth the lengthy wait.

Chapter Seventeen

Zasha looked down at the phone vibrating on her desk and grinned. It was Kade! She pressed answer and routed the call to the slender, black device in her ear.

"Please tell me you found something."

"I think so. I've managed to narrow the compounds down to two planets."

"Two is better than the infinite number we had previously."

"That was my thought…"

"You're hesitating. Why?"

"Because in order to test my hypothesis I'd have to go these places. I’m missing a key component in this compound. I think it's a very specific, possibly located in one particular place. Things like that aren't catalogued as well, and both planets are quite remote."

"What are you planning on doing to figure this out?"

"That's why I was calling. I need to set up a team and go on an expedition."

"Wait, you need to do what?" Images of Kade clad in a white NASA spacesuit danced in her head. They had their own ways of space travel.

"I know. It's extreme, but it's the only way to be precise, and I get the feeling we're under a deadline here. Which means I need to cut through a lot of red tape."

"That's putting it lightly.” Space travel took a lot of paper work and wasn't frequent by any means. It took a lot of negotiating and agreements on the part of both parties, and before any of this could begin it had to be approved by Phelan.

"I know it's a tall order. But if anyone could do it you could. The P.I.U. works separately from the government, so that helps a lot. I'm more worried about Phelan at this point. He'll want us all close by with everything going on. "

"Yes, but you plead a good case, K. It's why you're the politician of the family."

He chuckled. "That's a nice way of putting it. Can you start warming him up?"

"I can try. What do you want me to say?"

"Just tell him I was talking about putting a team together to do more in-depth research."

"Well, that's not a problem. I've actually been meaning to talk to you about a woman I'd like to bring on to the project. You may have heard of her, Dr. Guerin."

"Ivy Guerin. The leading human geneticist in the alien genetics field!"

The excitement in his voice made her smile. "I see you’re familiar with her work."

"Of course, the woman’s brilliant."

"Good, I'm hoping she'll join the cause."

"She likes to be challenged. I don't think you'll have a problem."

"Maybe you could write up the letter. I don’t speak…"

"Geek?"

"At the risk of sounding awful, yes. If you want me track it, hunt it down, and bring it to justice, I'm your girl. Reason and talk about complex things like particles and compounds … meh."

"I got you, sis. I'll work it on it today."

"I like this sibling thing."

"Don't be too quick to say that. We haven't embarrassed you yet."

She smiled. "Well you certainly made my day. I've been waiting for a break on this case for awhile."

"I know you have. One thing I can promise you, Tavel will be brought to justice. He's done a lot to the D'Shars and our time to collect his debt is close at hand." She'd never heard Kade speak to frankly. It reminded her that the blood of warriors ran through all their veins.

"I look forward to that day."

"Me too. Thanks again for greasing the wheels on this."

"No problem. I'll chat up the Chief today."

"Excellent. See you later."

"Later, bro."

They disconnected, and she glanced out the glass window toward the largest office. Now was probably as good a time as any to talk to Chief Varner. She made her way out of the office, pausing at the door to knock.

"Come on in."  She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.

"Hey Chief, do you have time to talk?" 

"Sure, Johnson, or should I say D'Shar? Come on in."

Once she was seated at the desk across from him he spoke.

"You coming to tell me you're ready to start maternity leave?"

"No, Sir."

"Yeah, I didn't think so." He leaned back in the chair. He was a weathered man with salt and pepper hair, thick eyebrows that moved with his expressions as he talked, and a stocky frame that was impressive for being in his fifties.

"You've never been one to bite your tongue. I like that about you, so don't go changing it now."

"Yes, Sir … I just talked to Kade D'Shar. He'd been working on finding out what Tavel's M.O. is and from what he left behind at the crime scene he thinks he has his supplies narrowed down to two planets."

"Does he need to go on site to finish his research?"

"Yes, Sir."

"So we're talking space travel?"

"Yes, Sir."

He sighed. "This Tavel guy isn't stable, and he's antsy. That's dangerous. We'd need some of our people in on this."

"I actually wanted to bring someone in on the case. A specialist, her name is Dr. Ivy Guerin. She's known as the top human geneticist in the Alien Gene field. I think she could work as a bridge, catch the things our teams have missed working separately. I've done some research and written up a report."

"Good, leave it on my desk before the day’s over."

"You're approving it?"

"Unless there's a glaring flaw in your logic on paper, yes. I want to get this guy off the streets and into an interrogation room. There's no telling what he's been doing while he skulked around under all our noses. Thinking about it keeps me up at night. It's like a bad science fiction movie." He shook his head. "You can't fight what you don’t understand. So, I'm willing to gather that knowledge any way we can. Then we need to put a lid on it and contain it. Can you imagine the panic this would cause among the public? People are still wrapping their heads around the fact that aliens aren’t green, four feet tall, and out to get us. We can’t afford a set back, or a war between two species. It'd destroy us. No, keeping the balance and the peace is top priority. Why else do you think I'd allow you to work a case you're so involved in?"

"I suspected."

"These are desperate times, my girl. Tell him when the time comes, things will be ready on my end. Go ahead and contact the Doc too, but for now, keep things between us."

"Yes, Sir."

"Good, now get out of my office before the others suspect something." 

She stood and headed out of the room. They were sitting on top of a powder keg. She hoped they could put out the fuse in time.
One down, one to go.

Zasha left home early, crept into her room and changed over to a knee-length black skirt and an off-the-shoulder blue sweater. She used to be a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl, but her burgeoning pregnancy was ending that as she hit the in-between stage. Maternity shopping would be necessary soon. She mussed her hair, applied a touch of chocolate-flavored lip balm, and turned away from the mirror.
Time to go seduce my husband.
When she reached the office, the door swung open, and she was enveloped in a strong pair of arms and pulled inside. The door shut behind her, and she giggled as he nuzzled her neck.

"You got off work early today."

"I thought I'd surprise you," she said.

"Mission accomplished and very much appreciated."  His hands ran down her back and cupped her bottom through the skirt. She moaned. Even after all these months the spark between them burned bright and white hot.