CHAPTER 7
Elaine slid into a regular routine aboard the Candorian freighter. They ran the ship on a twenty-hour day and that bumped their time right along. They ate their first meal of the day before leaving their quarters, then she took the children to the educational center. Even her youngest was placed with children her own age for a mixture of play, manual dexterity skills training, and some hands-on learning about Candorian ocean life in a huge aquarium. Amie could hardly wait to see her teacher and play with her classmates each day.
Emily was just as eager but for different reasons. She seemed to be growing attached to her classmates even more easily than her younger sister. She’d taken a real liking to Candorian fashions, enjoyed learning about space, and seemed fascinated by alien cultures. She spent a lot of her time in the entomology lab and the scientist working there reported she was quickly eclipsing their expertise.
In truth, both girls thrived aboard the freighter, leaving Elaine with much more free time than she could hope to fill. The Candorians were strange about accepting her assistance with chores. She’d taken to filling her days by hanging out in the string of botany and food processing bays, which the Candorians had set aside generating nutrients. As a botanist, working with plants again filled a little hole in her soul. In fact, after all the hustle and bustle of just trying to survive as Earth’s ozone layer collapsed and everyone took shelter in the domes, getting back to what she loved almost felt like a guilty pleasure.
She often found herself the first to arrive. Since there were no bees and the robotic arms that did much of the maintenance were too heavy handed, the plants had to be hand pollinated. It was tedious and time consuming work but Elaine didn’t mind. It was the kind of mind-numbing activity that gave her time to think about her life.
At thirty-five, she was beginning to feel like she’d passed her prime. Common sense told her that wasn’t the case, since many humans lived to be well over a hundred and twenty years. Modern science had extended the average woman’s prime fertility period well into her sixties. Maybe, it was just struggling to manage two children on a deteriorating world that left her feeling emotionally exhausted.
A small shadow caught her attention. She glanced up in time to see their good captain jumping down from a catwalk to stand in front of her. She’d gotten used to seeing him around the ship off and on. He no longer provoked the same fear response that he did in their initial meeting. At this point, her main goal was to refrain from staring at his bulging muscles. She’d never seen him wearing a shirt with sleeves. His dark, soulful eyes threatened to swallow her whole.
“Good morning, Koal. Is there something you need? The scientists should be here soon. I’m sure they can give you a detailed product report.”
“I wish to speak with you.”
Oh boy, this wouldn’t be good. Neither of them had mentioned the courting that was supposed to be taking place between them. She had a feeling that’s what he wanted to talk about.
“Come.”
Elaine swallowed hard and took the hand he offered to her. Leading her through a couple more bays, they stood before a door that didn’t automatically open. Waving his hand over a square pad to the right, he stated quietly.
“It opens for you and for me. No others.”
Feeling a squirm of excitement and dread, she wondered if it was a secret getaway for them to share. Stepping into the room literally took her breath away. It was a small botany bay with nothing but flowers of every shape, size, and color imaginable. In the middle was a small refreshing pool, sized for two or three people.
He reached over, plucked an ornamental bloom, and presented it to her. “From my long-forgotten home world, brought back to life just for you, little mother.”
“This place is spectacular. I never even knew it existed.”
“It never existed until you came into my life. I wished to share a part of myself with you that you might appreciate. I took a small sampling from our seed banks to create this space for you.”
“That’s nice, but you shouldn’t have. This must be considered a vulgar waste of resources by your people.”
“A room dedicated to growing plants that offer no nutrients for my people?”
Nodding, she couldn’t help but smile at the sweet fragrance emitted by the beautiful blue blossom in her hand.
“Some may think so, but not many would begrudge me such as gift for the future mother of my children.”
“I don’t know…”
Holding up one hand, he spoke. “I beg of you, do not dismiss me without first knowing what you are casting aside.”
Nodding, she agreed. “My girls and I really love being aboard your vessel. I must admit this is the first real stability we’ve had in our lives. Your people are nice and it’s such a relief not to have to worry about where we’re going to sleep or what we’re going to eat from one day to the next.”
“It is my pleasure to provide for you. So much so, that I have returned the credits Prince Korban paid us to carry you safely to your destination. The honor of getting to know you will be more than enough compensation for this trip.”
“It displeases me to see you refuse much-needed credits. I have been told the survival of the colony aboard this vessel is a heavy burden on your shoulders. Why would you turn down such a princely sum for no reason?”
“To prove you are more valuable than mere credits. To me, being with you is a gift from the gods. To put a price on such a blessing, is to devalue it. This I would never do, especially if I wish to make you mine.”
“I come with my own burdens, two to be exact.”
“What you call burdens, I call blessings.”
“Human men avoid women with children.”
“Do not compare me to the fools of your home world. None among my kind would turn down a woman because of her small ones. It will be my honor to make them the daughters of my heart. My water will become their water, if you like of me.”
Elaine replied ruefully. “All the women like of you.”
“Yet I only like of you, little mother.” If he felt any kind of way about having his words fed back to him, it didn’t show in his reply or demeanor.
“You are a difficult man to say no to.”
“Among my kind, pressuring a female to bend to my will is dishonorable. I will come to this room every morning during this time. You may join me, at your leisure. If you do not, then I will know the desire between us only flows one way.”
“I didn’t mean to suggest you were dishonorable.”
“I know you did not, but I would be a poor excuse for a male if I failed to tell you of our ways. I will leave you to enjoy your garden.”
Reaching out to grasp his arm, Elaine spoke softly. “I was thinking of showing the girls our beautiful new space when they got out of school today. We would be pleased if you could join us.”
“It would be an honor to spend time with you and the small ones destined to be the daughters of my heart. Until this evening, little mother.” His warm words and kindness didn’t mask the heat in his eyes when he looked at her.
Elaine spent the better part of the morning in her secret garden, and the better part of the remaining day thinking about the good captain. Koal intrigued her on so many level0s. She couldn’t deny that she was attracted to him. He ran a tight ship and everyone on board seemed to be contented and well adjusted. Her girls would be happy if they never left the ship again, she was certain of that. Elaine was faced with one inscrutable fact—she’d really like to get to know Koal a little better.
True to form, the girls were thrilled with the flower garden. Amie made a bee line straight for the refreshing pool, tearing her clothing off along the way. They had all taken to wearing the strangely crafted little undergarments favored by the Candorians. The ones that reminded her a little of old-fashioned one-piece swimsuits. The people of ancient Earth were fond of wearing them when swimming, until water became such a scarce resource that no one wasted it on swimming. The frail fabric felt like wearing nothing at all against her skin, yet was excellent at covering their private bits.
Elaine followed along behind her youngest child, picking up her clothing. Emily was convinced that she would find an insect of some type amongst all the foliage. That turned out to be her all-consuming passion, while Elaine joined Amie in the pool.
Koal showed up within moments. The two-year-old scampered over and crawled into her lap, clearly fearful. Smiling, she motioned Koal over. He sat outside the pool as they conversed back and forth quietly about the flower garden. He told her about how a type that was particularly long lived when cut. She pointed out how nice it would be to reserve them for diplomatic functions. Elaine was also convinced that the seeds might make a good trade item.
Amie calmed down long enough to peep over her shoulder to look at the man. As he spoke, one hand came out and patted her on the back. His gentle understated interaction elicited a smile from the little girl. They spent time getting to know each other. Even Emily joined them in the pool, complaining roundly about the poor selection of insects aboard the vessel. Spending time together felt nice, but deep down inside, Elaine was torn. Did she begin with a family date to ensure he was a good fit with the girls? Or was it because she wanted to avoid spending one-on-one time with him? He was nothing if not a gentleman, so she couldn’t wrap her mind about what caused her anxiety.