Chapter 22

Jeffrey strode down the corridor, hoping he was headed in the right direction. He’d just received orders from the Supreme Regent of Zanthar to report to the transport hangar for a special assignment.

He was a tad disgruntled at being at the regent’s beck and call. He’d been putting the finishing touches on the Earhart’s repair with his captain when word of this new mission came in.

“Come on, Captain,” he’d said to Brook as she wiped her hands on a dirty rag and smiled at him. “Can’t you use your pull to get me out of this?”

Brook laughed. “I don’t have any pull with the regent.”

“Yeah, but you’re shacking up with the major, and he’s friends with the regent, so…”

“No can do,” Brook had said, picking up a laser driver and returning to the panel for more repairs. “You better get moving. The regent doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”

Jeffrey grumbled as he pushed his way through the crowd of protesters. He’d been assigned his own security team, comprised of two of the soldiers who’d accompanied him on this mission to recover the Earhart. Although the sight of the guards put most protesters off, he’d had to use force on a few who’d grappled their way to the front to take a swing at him.

In a way, he was thankful for the riotous crowds howling for his blood. The few Zantharians who had been spoiling for a fight had found an eager opponent. His knuckles were bruised on both hands, and he’d decided not to use the Zantharian miracle salve.

The pain helped keep him focused on something other than his dismal and disappointing love life.

It figures that I finally find the girl of my dreams, and she rejects me only after providing the single most exquisite sexual experience of my life.

What a shit show this mission has turned out to be.

Jeffrey wondered if regret would plague him for the rest of eternity. Maybe I should be grateful that she blew me off. I have no idea how I would fit an intergalactic girlfriend into my lifestyle.

He didn’t feel grateful. There was a black hole in his chest that was sucking all of the joy out of his life.

For a guy they called Cheerful, he really didn’t live up to those expectations.

Last night he’d lain in bed, staring at the strange lights from the ocean depths the window let in as they chased each other around his ceiling. As he’d stared, he’d considering going to Kat and making his case one more time.

She’s turned you down three times, buddy, he’d argued. What makes you think one more time would make a difference?

And if she rejected him again, he didn’t think he could take it. So he sat and stared and wondered if he’d ever feel happiness again. What is happiness if she’s not by my side?

Jeffrey reached the entrance to the transport hub and checked in at the desk. “One moment please,” the Zantharian functionary said, stepping away from his station and disappearing down a narrow hallway into the depths of the transportation department.

He drummed his fingers on the desk, waiting impatiently to get his new assignment underway. Perhaps it would keep his thoughts occupied long enough for him to forget his broken heart.

He doubted it.

Suddenly a towering form emerged from the hall and beamed at Jeffrey from behind the desk. “Good to see you again, Lieutenant.”

The Supreme Regent of Zanthar held out his huge hand. Jeffrey took it and shook, trying not to wince at the force Rasveen used.

“Earthling handshake,” the regent said. “I’m learning your customs.”

Jeffrey quirked an eyebrow. He wondered how much Dr. Cohen had to do with Rasveen’s desire to educate himself about Earth.

“Now, if you’ll follow me this way,” the regent said, sliding out from behind the desk, “I’ll show you to your vehicle.”

Jeffrey wasn’t sure why the regent himself was playing tour guide. Must have gotten bored sitting on the Coral Throne. They passed several small crafts, each resembling sleek and exotic sea creatures.

The regent came to a halt beside one of the crafts and handed him an electronic data pad. “The details of your assignment are in there. And your pilot is already on the ship.”

Rasveen slapped him on the back. “I appreciate your help with this. I couldn’t think of anyone better for the job.”

Then he was striding away, the muscles in his broad back rippling.

Jeffrey shook his head. That guy’s entirely comfortable with command. He vibrates power even when standing still. It was hard not to be impressed.

He looked at the pad in his hand, swiping at it to get it to divulge its contents. A screen came up, filled with Zantharian writing. This looks more like a geometry problem than it does a language. What good is this going to do me?

Entering the ship, he hoped his pilot would be able to make more sense of the assignment than he could. The ship’s interior was small, and as he climbed in he entered a small open space comprising the back of the ship.

Cocking his head to the left, he found two seats positioned in front of a front console, which lay directly below a large window. There was someone already occupying one of the seats.

“So I hope you know where we’re going,” he said to his companion, “because I sure as hell don’t.”

The pilot stiffened at his words, and he watched with growing unease as the seat turned to reveal its inhabitant.

“Kat’Chinna.” He’d recognize that gorgeous face anywhere.

Her eyes were wide, revealing their glowing golden rings, and her mouth was open slightly. He thought he saw her hand fly to her belly, then skitter away again, while a faint orange blush traced its way up her skin.

He’d known that he would see her again before he returned to Earth. He just figured he’d have more time for his wounded heart to heal first. Maybe if he’d had more time, it wouldn’t feel so raw and achy when confronted with her again.

He could see the desire to flee in her eyes. She stood up, moving back toward the door, being careful to squeeze past him without touching.

She’s going to leave. He felt like he’d been punched in the gut.

Instead, she closed the entry hatch and bolted it, then returned to her seat. “I was told my navigator would have the coordinates for our trip.”

Jeffrey exhaled heavily. He was relieved to see that she was willing to spend time with him. Maybe you shouldn’t be, his inner voice said. Remember, she’s a professional at all times, and the regent requested her for this mission.

Disheartened but trying not to show it, he sat down and handed her the pad.

Kat pulled up the coordinates, her face a mask of confusion. “Did the regent mention why he wants us to go here?”

He shook his head. “He told me that the details of the assignment were in there.”

“All this says is Storm Peskel Island.”

“Where’s that?” he asked.

Kat sighed, setting the pad down. “It’s this little island in the middle of the Northern Salten Sea. There’s nothing there but a bunch of birds.”

Jeffrey scratched at his chin. “Why send us there?”
Kat shrugged. “Maybe they’ll be more information there when we arrive.”

“Sounds like a wild goose chase to me.”

“Wild goose chase?” she asked, the words hyper-pronounced.

“It’s an idiom,” he said idly. “It means a fool’s errand.”
Kat looked at him but remained silent. He wondered what thoughts were hidden behind those dark, penetrating eyes.

“Well I’m game if you are,” she said with a slight smile, and started hitting controls on the console.

A weight lifted inside his chest. Even if he couldn’t claim her as his for all eternity, at least he could enjoy the little bit of time they had together. He watched as she steered the vessel into the line of departing ships, and almost laughed at the little jolt they experienced when they hit the open water.

“The trip there will take about an hour,” she said, leaning back in her chair. “There won’t be much to do.”

“On the contrary,” Jeffrey said, watching the creatures around him as they sped through the depths. “You can show me the sights.”

Kat gave a nervous laugh. “We’re going pretty fast. Most of the sights will go by in a blur.”

“So maybe slow down for the really good ones,” he said. “What’s that?” he asked, pointing to a far-off massive structure.

“Zanth’Aranna University,” she said, leaning over to point out the many spires. “It’s the oldest seat of learning on Zanthar.”

Jeffrey admired the twisting curves of the spires. They resembled massive seashells that shone like ghosts in the distance.

A blur of motion caught his eye, and he left his seat to lean over hers. “What’s that?”

There was another blur, faintly silver in color. Then another.

Kat laughed. “Those are sailfish. They like to chase after our ships.”

Jeffrey goggled at the silver blurs, like bullets must look in slow motion. “They’re fast!”

“Yes. The fastest creatures on our planet.”

Jeffrey watched as the silver streaks flitted and glided around the ship. He was filled with a sense of contentment he had never achieved, even in the void of space.

He glanced at his companion. Kat’s face was wreathed with a smile so sweet, his heart ached as if it was pierced by one of the silver bullets.

Doubts began to pile up in his brain, but he turned it off. Don’t worry about after. Just enjoy this fleeting feeling while it lasts.

Before long, Kat retook her seat and pressed a button that caused a manual control stick to rise from a recessed compartment in the console. She kicked off the autopilot and engaged the stick, giving him a glance.

“Time to take this baby airborne.”

Pulling back on the stick, she guided the ship in an upward trajectory. Jeffrey watched as the surface approached, the glint of sunlight the only thing that let him know they were headed up. Suddenly they breached the waves, and Kat immediately leveled out. He wondered why for a moment, then he realized that the sailfish had followed.

They leaped all around him, in great bounds and twists, in front of the ship, above it, flipping and cavorting in a scene of such unfettered joy that he was almost moved to tears.

“Magnificent,” he breathed with wonder.

“I thought you’d like it.”

He could finally make out the forms behind the silver blurs. They were long, fishlike creatures with scales so shiny they sparkled in the sunlight. A great sail lined their back, and a massive tailfin propelled their massive bodies into the air.

Kat moved the ship higher and the sailfish fell away, going back to their home under the surface. He immediately felt their loss, once again realizing that happiness was transitory.

“Thank you for showing me that,” he said, his voice quiet, not wanting to break the reverent feeling of the moment.

She nodded, looking down at the console. He caught her stroking her stomach with a gentle touch and considered what the motion might mean.

Before he could dwell on it, she pointed out a chain of verdant islands to their right. “That’s Noruma’s Haven. It’s one of the breeding places of the giant jellies.”

Jeffrey wished that they had time to investigate, but he didn’t ask, knowing that she would chastise him to stay on task. He sighed, thinking of all the things they could be exploring if this were a vacation, or even better, a honeymoon.

“Maybe if we have time, we can stop on the way back,” she offered gently, and he wondered for a moment if she could read his thoughts.

He sat in silence as they sailed over the open ocean until she indicated a small rocky outcropping ahead of them. “That’s Storm Peskel Island.”