Chapter Twelve
TESSA IGNORED her screaming muscles, her straining lungs, and her thumping heart. Master Chen had often pushed her past what she’d thought was her limit, proving that the mind could press through previously defined confines. Even as a beginning student, she’d done kicking drills that lasted for hours, tiring the body to the point where only the most necessary and efficient muscles accomplished the task.
Kahn’s goal appeared similar. He wanted her body exhausted to force her to use her psi. So she kept pressing, imagining a cage, punching through the bars with her fists and kicking with her feet. But instead of muscles, the engine driving her body was her mind. She called upon every mental wisp of frustration and shot her fist into Kahn’s chin.
He blocked with a psi shield and countered. She raised her own shield. Too late. And took a tumble. However, the tumble elevated her frustration, refilled her mind. Next time, she’d raise her shield before she attacked.
Shields up, she advanced. Kahn shifted, countered, but she remained untouched. Her shields had worked.
Elation filled her, and she lost the psi shield.
The lesson continued with Tessa determined that she would be the one to call it quits. Willing to fight until she either dropped or he ended the session, she pushed herself beyond reason, beyond common sense, beyond anything she’d done before.
Her extraordinary effort produced rewarding results. She learned to hold her psi shield, to punch and to kick at the speed of thought. Sometime during the lesson, she realized that she could now “see” Kahn’s moves. Her psi vision had kicked in.
Compared to Kahn, she was still clumsy. She couldn’t control the null-grav or the temperature, and she didn’t have his speed. But practice would enhance her skills, and her confidence built. Despite her exhaustion and the heat, she kept attacking.
Until she blacked out.
One moment she was lunging at Kahn, the next, she awakened in his arms. Stiff, sore, yet wonderfully tired, she marveled over her psi power which had been untapped her entire life. She’d heard humans only used ten percent of their minds, and scientists didn’t understand the complexity of the brain, but her psi was a whole new sense. It was if she’d been blind all her life and could suddenly see.
Kahn frowned at her, concern darkening his amber eyes. “What is wrong, woman?”
“I overheated. It’s nothing to worry about.”
“Why didn’t you stop?”
“You told me not to.”
Clearly stunned, his lower jaw dropped open. “I expected you to stop before you burnt out.”
She cupped his jaw. “I’ll let you make it up to me.” She raised her lips to his. “Kiss me, Kahn.”
“You need comforting for your pain?”
She rolled her eyes. “No. I want to celebrate.” She let her fingers trail down his jaw to his neck. “Don’t you want to kiss me?”
“Touching me like that is inappropriate.” Confusion marred his features. “What do we have to celebrate?”
She raised her head higher but couldn’t reach his lips. So she planted a kiss on his neck, collarbone, shoulder. “We are celebrating our success. Using the psi was marvelous. I never knew I could move that fast. Or see you move. And the shielding is spectacular. How much force will it stop? Will I get stronger with practice? How long will it take me to use the null-grav and become as adept as you?”
Interest filled his eyes. “Fighting with psi gave you pleasure?”
“Learning a new skill gave me pleasure. Surely you feel the same way?”
“I am a man,” he said, as if that explained everything.
“And a very handsome man, too.” She grinned up at him, aware that he was pleased by her progress, even if he had yet to say so. “Wouldn’t you rather put those lips to better use than arguing with me?”
He scowled, and then he laughed, his eyes brightening with amusement. “You are impossible. Are you sure you are not injured?”
She wriggled her eyebrows at him. “Maybe you should examine me, all of me, to see for yourself.”
“WHAT IS THAT sound coming from your mouth?” Dora asked.
After Tessa’s training session with Kahn and then a very pleasant lovemaking session, she’d slept soundly. After awakening, she’d padded to the food materializer and used her psi to make pasta, a salad and a cup of coffee.
“Hi, Dora.” Tessa was starved. “That sound is called whistling.”
“What does it mean?”
“It’s music.”
“You’re off key.”
“Mm.” Tessa sat on the dais and ate. “I could get used to these food materializers.”
“There are no food materializers on Rystan.”
“Why not?” Her food tasted fresh, and she didn’t even have to cook. Apparently the machine was stocked with basic proteins and carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals, etc. All she had to do was use her psi and the machine duplicated what she envisioned. She might now even be able to open the door to this chamber.
Tessa munched happily on her salad, sipped her coffee, and fired a psi thought at the wall. The door opened. Life was looking up.
“Food materializers are expensive. The inhabitable parts of Rystan are poor in resources.”
“Tell me more.”
“I’m sorry. I don’t have that kind of information in my data banks.”
“That’s okay. Maybe I’ll ask Kahn. Can you show me a dance called the Ramala Ki.”
“Compliance.”
While Tessa ate, she stared at a holovid woman performing a series of sexy steps, undulations, and complicated hand movements. The hip motions reminded her of Hawaiian Hula dancers, and there could be no doubting the moves were meant to entice a man. Vowing to learn the dance, she had Dora repeat them while she ate.
“You seem happier since your wedding night. Did he please you?”
“Dora! Some things are private.”
“Privacy is a hard concept for me to burn into my circuits.”
“Hey, it’s okay. Without even realizing it, I step on Kahn’s toes all the time.”
“I have never seen you step on his toes.”
“I meant that my values often clash with his. He has this ridiculous notion that women shouldn’t initiate sex. Or touching. Or kissing. You wouldn’t think such a macho man would be disturbed by my clumsy attempts to learn to fight with my psi.”
“Macho man?”
“His I’m-always-in-charge, listen-to-me dominant attitude of the alpha male.”
“He was probably born that way,” Dora said. “I’ve transported several Rystani delegations. All Rystani men convey a superior attitude.”
“What about their women?” Tessa finished her salad and moved on to the pasta, staring once again at the holovid. Oh my. The woman picked a moment to pivot, stop, and display herself in a most provocative pose.
“On the rare occasions that the men travel, they leave their wives and daughters at home. So I’ve never met a Rystani woman.”
“Well, apparently I’m not what Kahn wants in a wife.” Tessa grinned, recalling the look on his face when she’d suggested that she’d like to kiss a certain part of his anatomy.
“You certainly look pleased.”
“The man still has issues. But he’s making progress.”
“In more ways than one. We’ve almost reached Zenon Prime.”
Tessa heard a hint of sadness in her friend’s voice. “Oh, Dora. Does this mean goodbye for us?”
“I don’t think so. I will be transporting you again. However, if you would like to stay in touch—”
“I would.”
“—while you are on the planet—”
“That’s possible?”
Machinery hummed and curious, Tessa placed her utensils in the disposal unit and peered into the materializer. Glistening black and white stones appeared.
“Take them and place the stones on your earlobes. The women on Usjar use them to keep in constant contact with their consorts.”
Tessa did as she asked, hoping the tiny devices would serve as both microphone and speaker. “Can you hear me?”
“Of course.” Dora’s voice vibrated in Tessa’s ear. “I’ve also implanted tiny cameras in the stones.”
“Can you induce privacy mode as well?”
“Yes, but you must take care to conceal all lip movements.”
“I understand. Thanks, Dora. You’re the best.”
“No problem.”
Tessa swallowed the last of her pasta with a grin. Dora loved to pick up slang, and she felt comforted with her computer friend nearby. With Zenon Prime this close, she was about to step onto a new world. As Earth’s first representative, she planned to make a favorable impression. Unfortunately, she’d never felt so ignorant. She didn’t know the customs here or what was expected of her, either. Kahn hadn’t been forthcoming on the subject, in fact, he hadn’t mentioned it, and Dora lacked adequate data. However, knowing that Dora was with her made her heart light and her mind eager to explore.
Now that Tessa could open the door to her chamber, she was ready to venture out. “Dora, where’s Kahn?”
“On the bridge.”
“Can you guide me there, please?”
“Compliance.”
Tessa followed a series of blinking lights to the bridge. The corridors all looked similar to her with their crystal machinery that reminded her more of art than technology. She saw no other rooms and surmised that the ship’s interior was filled mostly by gigantic engines to run the hyper drives.
The bridge wasn’t much larger than the shuttle. The circular cabin housed several viewscreens. The monitors to port, starboard, and stern showed a black sky with pinpoints of stars. The screen before Kahn revealed a planet that could have been drawn right from a Disney fantasy.
With three moons and two suns in the seven planet solar system, there were no shadows or dark areas. Rings around the fourth planet sparkled with ethereal crystal structures. Giant cables connected the rings to the planet below and vehicles that resembled train cars or giant elevators shot up and down the cables.
The planet had two emerald oceans both in the southern hemisphere. The clouds were pink and the landscape had slashes of rose. Streaks of violet desert between the giant domes of glass-like cities held her fascinated.
Kahn looked up from the console. He didn’t seem the least surprised to see her there, but pleased. Her new husband might not be big on words, but she was starting to read his moods. Tensions between them had eased, and while she wouldn’t yet classify their complicated relationship as friendly, she believed they understood one another well enough to work out their differences.
He gestured for her to come closer. “You slept straight through our hyper jump. Welcome to Zenon Prime.”
“Wow. Is this where the Challenge takes place?”
“No, but there’s an official welcoming ceremony waiting for you on the planet.” Kahn spoke to someone else through the communicator then docked the ship, smoothly maneuvering alongside one of the towers floating in the clouds.
Metal clanged on metal. The gravity changed ever so slightly, and Kahn stretched as if he had kinks in his muscles. One moment he wore his casual low-slung pants and vest and the next, he’d changed into a formal black suit with braid piping, long sleeves, and a v-neckline that made him look masculine and darkly dangerous, especially with the ceremonial knife in his belt.
He changed her clothes, too, and she gasped. An icy, diaphanous dress shimmered as the gorgeous fabric floated around her. Gossamer threads of silver, pink, and purple cellophane clouded the glassy translucence. Light, delicate and yet modest, the gown was the prettiest garment she’d ever worn. Tessa read admiration in Kahn’s eyes and was glad the bruise on her face had faded. And she managed to rein in her automatic protest of his choosing her attire, refusing to complain even about her high-heeled platform shoes.
Kahn snapped his fingers. “I almost forgot.” From a compartment he removed a pendant with a smoky red stone. “For you. It’s a star fire.”
She stared in awe. The stone sparkled like an opal, shimmered like a diamond, the color changing from crimson to scarlet, depending on the viewing angle. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
Kahn placed the jewelry around her neck, and the stone nestled between her breasts. “This is to remind you that during the welcoming ceremony on Zenon Prime, I will remain at your side and protect you. Some of the aliens will seem strange, even menacing, but you have nothing to fear. You aren’t expected to recognize the different cultures that you will meet or to know their customs. Just be yourself. There are only two races to worry about. First, the Endekians, who are my enemies. They are short, yellow skinned men with sharp teeth. Try to avoid looking them in the eyes as they will take it as a sign of sexual interest. Hopefully, Jypeg will not be here.”
She heard hatred in Kahn’s tone. “Jypeg?”
“The man who killed Lael.” Kahn took a deep breath and continued. “The other race you must try not to insult are the Osarians.”
The manner in which he’d phrased his statement sounded so strange to her—as if everyone insulted the Osarians. “Why or how would I insult them?”
“The Osarians are repulsive-looking creatures. Some candidates have run from the welcoming ceremonies in fear of the tentacled and powerful creatures.”
“I will not run,” she promised. After his lovely gift and declaration of protection, she felt petty complaining about the shoes. But the platform shoes with a heel way higher than one she was accustomed to left her clenching Kahn’s arm for balance, and for once, he didn’t complain about her touching him first.
She eyed him as he led her to the shuttle bay. “You like me clinging to you for support, don’t you?”
“All is as it should be.” His voice remained serene, but she caught a glint of amusement in his gaze.
“You won’t think this is so damn amusing if I fall flat on my face and embarrass us both.”
“You have extraordinary balance.”
“And patience,” she muttered as she tripped, then gripped his arm tighter.
Tessa repeatedly tried to modify the shoes, but he hadn’t simply used psi on her suit. He’d locked in his will by the use of the marriage bands he’d placed on her during their wedding ceremony, preventing her from overriding his decision. Forced to go clad according to his wishes in the lovely gown and shod in the ridiculous shoes, she supposed she should consider herself lucky that she wasn’t wearing some hideous outfit.
If only she could operate the suit’s null-grav, she could float. Perhaps that was the point. Kahn had a brilliant tactical mind, and she wouldn’t put it past him to use the ceremony and the uncomfortable shoes to frustrate her into using null-grav and teach her another psi lesson.
She sighed, followed Kahn into the shuttle, and vowed not to complain. However, she silently wondered why developing her psi always had to be so unpleasant.
Kahn skillfully piloted the shuttle downward, and Tessa stared in wonder at the purple vegetation. Cactus-like plants, hundreds of feet high, mushroomed from the lavender desert. The gigantic plants rimmed an enormous crater into which the shuttle descended.
Absorbed with the intriguing view of other aircraft, saucers, cigar-shaped and cylindrical, Tessa forgot the discomforts of her shoes. They plummeted swiftly into a controlled spiral, joining a busy traffic pattern. Below them runways, helipads. and hangars awaited the various aircraft of every imaginable size, shape, and color.
Her curiosity fired, she gazed at the city, longing to explore. “How long will we stay here?”
“Just a day or two. Then we go to Rystan where other people can help with your training.”
She could tell by his tone that he was already eager to leave and head for home. So she vowed to make the most of her short stay here.
In moments, they’d landed, and Kahn eased Tessa through the hatch into a bus-like vehicle where they were the only passengers. She stared out the window, disappointed at the lack of an alien view as they whisked through a darkened tunnel. By her internal clock, Tessa estimated fifteen minutes passed before they disembarked inside the tunnel and headed toward yet another vehicle.
“The Federation has provided a flit-glider,” Kahn spoke with satisfaction. The glider looked like a large torpedo with two seats. She sat behind Kahn, and they launched with a whoosh, and Kahn piloted them straight into an enormous cavern.
Tessa gaped at the overwhelming size of the underground city. Obviously the Zenon people here lived on every part of their world, including the planet’s rings as well as above and below the surface.
Artificial pink clouds hung in the domed ceiling which appeared to resemble a lavender “sky.” Alien buildings that looked like bendar created a delicately harmonious skyline in the domed, underground city. Dazzlingly magnificent sculptures decorated moving walkways, but she and Kahn remained too high to see the aliens below, who traveled past graceful waterfalls and picturesque gardens of the grand city. Clearly, the artistic balance of the Federation capital had been considered by the builders so everyone could enjoy its beauty.
“This city’s magnificent,” she said.
Kahn shrugged his large shoulders as if he’d been here many times over and was not impressed. “Zenon Prime is the capital of the Federation. This planet is the center of pride and progress, but only the most privileged live here.”
Kahn’s tone was clipped, difficult to read, and when he ended the short flight, landing upon an enormous stage, Tessa wondered if she was ready. A huge alien audience watched. Beings of different shapes, sizes and colors awaited, and Tessa suddenly realized they stood there to get a look at her. The flight around the dome had been her grand entrance. Her stomach knotted. Remembering his promise to protect her, she placed her hand over the star fire necklace, the stone reassuring her. Kahn had told her these beings weren’t hostile. They hadn’t contacted Earth and brought her halfway across the Milky Way to eat her, but to greet her.
Kahn popped the flitter’s canopy and held out his arm. Taking his arm to steady her nerves and aid her balance in the shoes, Tessa looked around and swallowed hard as hushed expectancy washed over the multitude of strangers. Courage. “You will do fine, woman,” Kahn whispered. “Just remember not to use sarcasm, please.”
“Hell, haven’t you heard of free speech in this galaxy?” she muttered, uneasy at being the focus of all those alien eyes. Still, she shot him her most brilliant smile as she stepped out of the flitter to a roar of cheers.
For the next several hours, Tessa stood in her uncomfortable shoes in a receiving line where Federation delegates welcomed her. As promised, Kahn didn’t leave her side.
At first, Tessa studied each alien, amazed by the different possibilities of humanoid construction. Most of them had a head set on their bodies. The genetic combinations seemed as varied as the number of planets in the galaxy. Most had eyes in their heads, but several possessed orbs on their appendages. Some had wings or tails, others orange tentacles, and one species changed colors as it “spoke.” Thanks to her suit’s translator, she could exchange welcoming small talk.
After a while, she lost count of the differences between the aliens. Instead of bodily appearance, Tessa amused herself by guessing at their personalities. Although Kahn didn’t speak, he sometimes leaned closer to her, and occasionally she sensed a tension in him as different species approached.
When a six-foot-tall, large-tentacled insectoid that reminded her of a giant daddy longlegs slithered closer, Tessa froze in order to avoid instinctive retreat. The friendly spider introduced itself as Bython, from the planet Whoollanzi, and its softly pleasant trilling sound calmed Tessa’s frazzled nerves, and she recalled she could speak to Dora through the earrings, moving her lips as little as possible.
“Dora?”
In privacy mode, her friend fed her information. “The Whoollanzi subdue their foes with that pleasant trilling before devouring their prey alive.”
“Didn’t need to know that,” Tessa muttered.
“Don’t worry. You are too large to be considered food.” The formidable line of aliens passed before Tessa slowly. Each Federation member had different customs. Some stared at her boldly, others humbly kneeled at her feet. No one offered to shake hands. One scratched under his armpit and another’s eyes actually rolled across its forehead.
When a short, powerful, yellow skinned man with an ugly scar slashed from his forehead to his jaw approached, Kahn tensed so hard she feared his muscles might snap. “Endekian?” She whispered, immediately looking down to avoid eye contact as Kahn had instructed.
“That’s Jypeg. How did you guess?” Dora answered.
As if sensing her husband’s hostility, the Endekian kept the meeting brief. “Welcome to the Federation.”
The Endekian moved on, but Tessa’s curiosity escalated, and she wished she knew more about Kahn’s enemy and the political situation, but now was not the time for questions.
When a creature that looked like a snot-covered octopus approached, she noted a certain electricity in the crowd—almost as if the other aliens were collectively holding their breaths to see if she would run off the stage screaming in fright. This must be the Osarian. She schooled her features to remain stoic.
“Stay still,” Dora instructed. “The Osarians are blind, and he means you no harm. To flinch will show great disrespect, although most aliens here wouldn’t consider allowing an Osarian to come near them.”
The audacious creature ran his tentacles over her body, its touch light as a feather, but nevertheless leaving a trail of slime behind, which her suit quickly cleaned. She understood that the Osarian was “seeing” her by touch, like a blind man reading Braille, and that he meant no disrespect by lightly skimming her breasts, her buttocks, and her legs.
Tessa held still, but as the cold, slimy tentacles frisked her, she wondered what her warm body temperature and dry skin felt like to the Osarian. For all Tessa knew, the Osarian might have had to work up his courage for a week just to force himself to greet her.
Welcome, Earthling.
The thought came directly through the tentacle, not her translator. Was he telepathic? Because not just thoughts came through the link, emotion also passed through. She sensed warmth at his genuine happiness at meeting her, but at her suspicion that he might find touching a warm-blooded creature displeasing, he also conveyed admiration for her open-minded thought processes. Mutual recognition that they were both outsiders—Tessa because she was the first Earthling to visit the Federation and the Osarian because he was the only one of his kind on this world—caused them to share an immediate empathy.
Knowing the Osarian wouldn’t object, she reached out and grasped the slimy tentacle to re-establish the link. She spoke her thoughts out loud, wondering if the creature had ears or if it could sense her good intentions. “I am pleased to meet you, too.”
Tessa had no idea if she managed to convey her own friendliness back through the link. But when the Osarian wrapped all eight tentacles around her and hugged her, she figured she’d made another friend. What an odd assortment she was collecting. First, Dora, now the Osarian.
Even while wrapped in Osari’s friendly emotions, Tessa sensed that Kahn believed she needed protection. “I’m fine,” she told him just as the Osarian released her.
A murmur of astonishment rose among the other delegates, but Tessa paid no attention to the crowd. She’d sensed so much through the link. A loneliness in the creature, sadness that the other races found him too repulsive to touch, cutting him off from the sharing of emotions needed for him to communicate.
She wondered if these others knew that the empathic Osarian race sensed their disgust and if they feared the oneness required to communicate. However, even she had trouble seeing past the outer ugliness to the beautiful soul hidden inside.
Not only was the Osarian friendly, he was gentle. And she sensed that the forced solitude was unnatural for him. He missed others of his kind, his home and family, the longing so strong it came through the brief touch quite strongly.
Dora spoke in her ear. “You have just been honored by one of the most powerful races in the galaxy. Osarians are isolationists, who usually keep themselves apart from the other races.”
“Why?”
“Osarians traveled aboard the shuttle during a rescue mission, so I know a lot about them.” Dora imparted useful information, and Tessa listened carefully. “Few humanoids can overcome their natural repugnance to the Osarian appearance. In order not to cause others pain with their ugliness, they have mostly retreated to their homeworld, which is rich in natural resources as well as blessed with a prime location. Due to prejudice over their appearance, they have been unable to open lucrative trade routes.”
“How do they survive in the Federation?”
“The Osarians are notoriously enterprising. They’ve used their extraordinary sensory perceptions to mediate disputes and have become a behind-the-scenes influential member of the Federation. Yet, they maintain a mysterious aura, rarely intermingling with others.”
“Tell me more,” Tessa requested as she greeted an endless line of delegates.
“Before he touched you, the Osarian probably sensed your initial distaste of his appearance. But since you quickly controlled your reaction and then actually initiated contact by touching the tentacle, you impressed him.”
Apparently the Osarian’s embrace had in turn impressed the other delegates who eyed Tessa with new respect. Okay, the Osarian was hideous, but she hadn’t expected such enlightened people to ostracize him. She thought it odd that although others shunned the Osarian, their respect for her had risen, creating a swelling hubbub of noise. Tessa wasn’t into politics, but she was gratified that she’d represented Earth in a respectable fashion, and she was even more pleased that she’d reached out to the tentacled alien. Even now, she still had a strange euphoria from the encounter.
“Pay attention.” Dora pulled Tessa from her thoughts. “Azrel is Kahn’s stepmother. They haven’t met until now.”
Kahn’s stepmother! Why hadn’t he ever mentioned her? What had happened to his biological mother? And where did his father live now? And why had Kahn never met Azrel?
The first recognizable humanoid female to greet Tessa exhibited an unmistakable regal presence. The statuesque, green-skinned woman moved with a boldness that immediately commanded respect, and Tessa knew at once that this women wasn’t just a politician, but a warrior. Azrel’s bare arms revealed sleek muscles. However, her imposing manner was contradicted by her outrageous outfit. Her fire-engine red bodice dipped scandalously low. The too-tight waistline was a flashy tangerine that billowed into turquoise folds over her legs and reminded Tessa of pantaloons. A green turban that housed a live snake-like creature crowned her head of dark green hair.
“Welcome to the Federation. I hear you are newly married.” Azrel spoke boldly, ignoring the bristling Kahn, her eyes sparkling with intrigue. The green-skinned, green-haired, and green-eyed, Azrel was stunning. Her high cheekbones and wide-mouth smile revealed straight white teeth and a dimple in her cheek. “If you ever wish for another home, our planet Scartar will embrace you. Or stop in for a visit,” she modified as Kahn scowled. “Our planet is a matriarchy, and I credit you would feel at home with us.” She leaned forward cheek to cheek and whispered, “Find me.” At the same moment she slipped a piece of paper into Tessa’s hands then moved on. Tessa didn’t know what to make of the woman, but sensed she might have found another friend—only Kahn clearly disapproved of his stepmother. The hostility between them couldn’t be missed, and Tessa didn’t have to ask why.
Kahn would automatically disapprove of a matriarchy. While she wanted to know how Kahn’s father had come to marry the green-skinned Azrel, Tessa put aside her question for another time.
Finally, Kahn leaned forward and whispered in her ear. “The Zenon ambassador.”
The last being in the long line of delegates, the Zenonite floated onto the stage and appeared to be one gigantic brain with two lidless, aqua eyes. Its shriveled appendages dangled impotently from the cauliflower-like brain. A perfectly human set of lips spoke from the throbbing gray matter and welcomed her to the Federation.
“Earthling, our best wishes go with you during the Challenge. Because you risk your life, we present you with a gift of one million credits!” Music that sounded like trumpets and drums blared. A cart rolled across the stage. Atop the cart rested a pillow with a tiny opalescent box.
“Inside the box is a chip with your credits,” Dora told her. “Take it.”
Tessa accepted the box. “Thank you.”
“If you fail the Challenge, all unspent credits will be repossessed by the Federation. Use them wisely, Earthling. Long life and successful Challenge.”
One million credits. From what Dora had told Tessa, the Federation’s capital sported the galaxy’s best shopping malls.
Tessa restrained a delighted grim. She had no idea what a million credits would buy, but she intended to find out.