Upon the Threshold (4 page)

“So the denotation of your rank in your military is on your skin instead of your clothing. That’s very interesting.” She reached up and lightly traced a star on his arm. “Our men and women have their ranks on their clothing.” She realized she was touching him and pulled her hand back quickly. “Sorry,” she whispered with wide eyes. “I’m a weird duck and I know it.” She referenced one of the old Earth waterfowl that they hoped to bring back to life here on their new world. “I tend to do things without thinking first. I didn’t mean to offend you.” She whispered in horror at what she had done. Holy spirits, she had been caressing his arm in a way that only a lover or someone very close to him should do.

“No offense taken,” he said; his gaze was sharp on her. “While we usually ask before initiating contact with one another, you are not from our society. You are curious, I’m sure. Everything is new to you and your people. Just remember that, unless you are in a relationship with someone or related to someone on our world, you should ask permission to touch them. No one will take undue offense, but it is better to be safer than not.”

“Thank you. I will keep that in mind.” She curled her fingers into her palm, reminding herself not to touch him. “Although I doubt that I will spend much time with your people. It’s not that I don’t want to. I’m very curious about you and your people and would like to learn more.” She shrugged. “The fear of offending or harming someone by my ignorance and being made a slave keeps me from doing much more than venturing here to give you gifts.”

He nodded and then turned, the move quick for someone so large. “Come, I will show you around, so in the event you change your mind and wish to return, you’ll know where everything is.” Kraven folded his hands behind him and moved with brisk steps, not too fast though. Obviously he was adjusting for her shorter legs, but he kept the two of them moving as he pointed out where everything was. The supply tent, mess hall, and various sleeping quarters for those who were on the ground.

He mentioned that some of his people were still on their ships, monitoring everything, but those who had landed were stationed on the ground for the time being. And then he showed her where the Droushanian scientists were working to see what the humans had done to the planet and checking for any adverse effects. “This is the lead scientist for our mission, Shaundra. This is Elisabeth Washington, daughter of Marcus of the humans, Shaundra, and she too is a scientist.”

The tall woman, not as tall as Kraven but taller than Eli, dipped her head and smiled slightly. The friendliest expression she’d seen so far. “Welcome, Elisabeth Washington, daughter of Marcus. Would you care to see what we have found so far since our arrival on world?”

Bowing her head in respect to the woman, Elisabeth smiled. “I would be honored. We have been carefully monitoring the environment as well. We don’t want to harm, only to make this planet more habitable. We did note that there are two small species of plants that are in the southernmost hemisphere, which is why we landed here. We didn’t want to unbalance their ecosystems with what we were doing to the planet. So far, from what we’ve been able to gather, they are thriving. A scientific team is being rounded up to traverse the planet in order to study the flora more closely. The fact that they were able to survive and thrive is something that we would love to learn more of.”

“If you would like to stay here with Shaundra, I can leave you here for a time to discuss your scientific research. I could return in a bit. Would you care to do this, Elisabeth?” Kraven said to her.

Eli was torn. Finally, however, she shook her head and smiled. “Shaundra, it was wonderful to meet you, and perhaps another day we can talk? For now, I would like to continue my tour with Kraven—if you don’t mind, that is?”

“You are most welcome to return, Elisabeth Washington. We will talk more another day,” Shaundra said and tipped her head.

Kraven just waited for Eli and then led her out of the tent. Waving a hand before her to signal her to follow, he toured her through the rest of the buildings. A small armory, a couple more sleeping quarters, and a meeting area that was massive. He then led her toward two spacecraft that were sitting silent and dark in the night. “Would you like to go aboard for a look, or do you need to return to your settlement?”

She looked to the ship and then up to him. She was surprised that so much time had passed while they had walked and talked and while she simply got to know more about him. Smiling, she said, “I would love to look around, if you wouldn’t mind? I’ve always had a desire for knowledge, and to be able to see inside of one of your ships to compare the differences would be wonderful. I love being able to visualize the differences between our peoples. If you don’t mind, that is?” she added. “And if you would like, I would be honored to take you on a tour of our settlement as well? Show you around as you are showing me around?”

“Perhaps one day soon,” he said. He led her to the side of the ship and opened a panel. He then punched some buttons. A moment later he leaned in and did a retinal scan before speaking a code of some sort. The side of the ship seemed to just crack open, and a ramp slid down before locking into place.

He stepped back and let her go ahead of him, his footfalls making the ramp rumble as he followed. “We’ll start up top and work our way down and to the back of the ship. The top is the best part anyway, or so those who fly this thing claim.”

That had her grinning, and she had to ask, “Okay, why is that? Why is the top so much better than anything else? A little hint?” she teased. She didn’t reach out and touch anything. She kept her hands clutched at her back as she moved easily and without much chatter now, though she had been quite talkative earlier.

“The pilots tell me it’s because of all the buttons, knobs, and switches. Personally I do not see the allure. Beyond the excellent view out the displays, it’s just a little too complicated for my mind. I can operate most of it, but I don’t have to like it one iota, which I don’t. I much prefer being in the thick of things instead of behind a control board.” He paused in a passage and a door slid back silently. “This lift will take us up to the top,” he told her as they stepped inside.

“Ah, some people really love gadgets. Me, I’m more into the looks of the things around me instead of the looks of the gadgetry before me,” she said and stepped into the lift with him.

He shot her an unreadable look as he got the lift moving. Or she assumed it was moving. It was hard to tell. At least until the end when there was just the smallest bump of movement. The doors slid open, and he let her step out in front of him. One of the men caught sight of them and shouted out something that had everyone snapping to what she would call attention.

Kraven waved them back to their jobs but spoke to Eli. “Go ahead, wander around. Any questions, and they will gladly answer. I’ll just follow along, and then we’ll start moving down and toward the back of the ship.”

She nodded and followed him. She smiled as she looked at the instrument panels and then turned her face to the screens. “Oh wow, it’s beautiful,” she whispered in total awe as she took in the colors and hues that her own people’s computer systems hadn’t picked up on. “How are you able to capture that spectrum of light?” she asked softly and walked closer to a monitor. She watched the winds blow, remarkable in the color shifts with the temperature shifts.

“Our systems are that sensitive. They need to be for interplanetary travel,” Kraven said from just behind her. “The system picks up all ranges of temperature, though there are a few it has trouble with, so they are a little hard to interpret. They are at the extremes, so they are a bit rare.”

“Amazing,” she whispered with a grin. “Utterly amazing. Our technology is impressive, but this is so much more. This is, wow,” she said with a shake of her head. She stepped back out of range of the view panels and right into Kraven, “Sorry,” she said with a blush over her cheeks.

He stared down at her, his expression not changing at all. A moment later he stepped back, giving her more room, and waved her along. At one station, he pointed to the display. “Your camp,” he said, his voice pitched a little lower, quieter.

She looked up to the screen and then frowned. She moved in a bit closer, and what she saw angered her “I hate to cut this short, Kraven, but would you please lead me back to the path that goes to my people’s settlement? There is something I need to take care of, please.” She had seen someone breaking into her personal quarters—a someone she could barely tolerate on the best of days, so why he would invade her personal space she didn’t know.

“Of course.” Kraven moved and waved her toward the lift. He was right on her heels as she stormed up to it, and she was surprised when it slid open without him having to key it up. “The sensors on this and a couple other levels are set to auto open if a body gets close enough. It’s a safety feature,” he explained when she shot him a look.

The ride down was quick with only a small bump to indicate when it ended. Kraven led her through the ship and back outside into the night and his people’s camp. He was silent until they were on the path just outside his camp. “Is there anything you need help with, Elisabeth? You appeared quite upset by someone going into the quarters that are designated for your personal use. And yes, we know where each of your people is at all times. While we are not here to harm you, we do not fully trust you yet. After all, trust is built over time.”

“I can completely understand that, but I hope you won’t be offended if I don’t tell my people,” Eli said with a bow of her head. She was worried by how late she was, but she had lost track of time while spending it with Kraven. “Thank you for the offer of help; I do appreciate that. It means a great deal to me that you would offer that.” Trying to calm herself, she looked up at the massive man and said, “Yes, I’m very upset that he went into my quarters. We are supposed to have our own personal spaces. They are locked spaces so that we can have time away from the community that we are building. He broke that lock, broke that trust.” Closing her eyes, she took another deep breath and added, “And I do not like him or trust him. I can’t say why because I don’t understand it myself. It’s instinctive, and Dad tells me that I’m being overly dramatic. However, I believe in my instincts, and I can’t trust Parker, the man who violated my space. Ever. Thank you for the tour. It was intriguing, and I did enjoy spending time with you and meeting more of your people. If you will please relay my thanks to them as well for allowing me into your camp today?”

“I will relay it for you,” he said. Then he stepped in front of her, forcing her to stare up at him as he tilted his head a little. “Are you sure you do not wish at least an escort? If he is there for a darker purpose than to merely annoy you by entering your space, will your people assist you quickly enough to prevent harm from coming to you?”

“I don’t know. I can’t ask you to do that for me though. Thank you,” she said quietly. “For offering to help me. I do appreciate it. However, I will deal with this alone. I should be fine.”

He stared down at her for a long, long time. So long, she felt the sudden urge to fidget. Not all that strange considering she was pretty sure he didn’t blink even once during their little staring contest. Which she lost. A couple of times.

Nodding, he finally blinked and stepped back a little. “If it comes to it, aim for the nose, the throat, or the groin with all the force you can manage. It’s better to inflict a pain that will subside than to be harmed in a way from which there is no recovery. And, should you change your mind or require sanctuary, you know where we are. Safe journey, Elisabeth Washington.” That said, he turned on his heel and with long strides moved back into his camp.

Eli watched Kraven walking away and felt her heart beating a little faster. She found his giving her instruction on how to harm the man who had entered her rooms oddly endearing. She liked it. A great deal. Shaking her head, she moved from the camp and the man who intrigued her far more than she had ever thought that he would.

Chapter Four

“You think something’s going on,” Lukkis said, stepping up next to Kraven once he was in the shadows again.

Nodding, Kraven turned to look at Lukkis. “The male entered her space in a manner that declared he had something to hide. His movements all made in a way to avoid detection should anyone be watching. That we saw him was pure luck. There were none of the humans’ security in the area, though he was careful enough to check prior.”

Rocking back on his heels, Lukkis grunted. “That sounds like the male has plans that are not going to agree with the human female, at all. Do you want us to get closer?”

“No. She declined assistance, and per our arrangement, we have to allow them to attend to their own issues. Unless this poses a threat to our people, let the humans handle it.”

That did not sit well with Kraven and he knew it wouldn’t with Lukkis either. But it was their own laws that prevented them from doing anything without her request. “I’ll put a few extra males on this side. Just in case they are required.”

A swift jerk of his head to let Lukkis know that he agreed with the assessment, and Kraven spun to walk to the ship. He should have been heading to his sleeping quarters in the camp, but Lukkis knew he was going to the bridge of the ship to keep watch via their sensors. While not a one of the Droushanian people trusted these humans, they wouldn’t allow any of them to come to any harm either. From outside forces or from within their own ranks.

* * * *

Elisabeth barely nodded at the guards who were at the gate of their settlement. Her intention was to get to her home, nothing more than that. Stomping to her sleeping quarters, she took a deep breath, squared her shoulders, and swiped her wrist to the keypad so that she could enter. What she saw shook her.

She stumbled back slightly at the sight of the utter and complete destruction to her rooms. Her bedding was ripped to shreds, the walls covered in paint or something similar, had her putting her hand to her throat.