CHAPTER FIVE
MEKASHE HAD WORDS with the manager of the programming staff of the holo division aboard the starliner, a Rojok engineer named Teskas, whom he had known for many years.
“As you can see—” he indicated his bloodstained sleeve “—there could have been tragic consequences.”
“I do see,” the manager agreed at once. “I’ll have the programmer responsible suspended pending a full investigation. Sir, you don’t think there might have been a malicious purpose in this, rather than a glitch?”
“No one on board knows who I am, except for you and the ship’s captain,” he assured the manager. “I hardly think such a method would have been chosen, in any case. And no potential assassin would risk the emperor’s displeasure, not to mention Chacon’s,” he added drily, alluding to the former Rojok field marshal who was now the son-in-law of the emperor.
The Rojok chuckled. “I see your point. All the same, I’ll keep you apprised of the investigation.”
“That would be appreciated.”
“I am sorry for your injury.”
Mekashe shrugged. “I’ve had worse than this practicing the Kahn-Bo with my friend Rhemun.”
“Has he still not beaten you?” the Rojok asked.
Mekashe chuckled. “No. But his son has. Repeatedly. Kipling has a natural feel for the Kahn-Bo staff. He is almost without peer in the division.”
“So I hear. Keep well.”
“And you.”
* * *
BACK IN HIS SUITE, Mekashe attended to his injury efficiently. Then he had a quick meal of the raw meat he preferred and brooded about the future.
Jasmine was afraid of cats. That might not have mattered, had he been human. But the Cehn-Tahr had galot genes and they had many feline characteristics. If she was already afraid of cats, how badly would she react to a humanoid male who was closely related to them, and whose true form she had never seen? Added to that were her vegan background and the other small differences that kept cropping up.
He reminded himself that no relationship was going to be perfect, that even people who had things in common frequently disagreed on small issues. But her fear of cats and her distaste for meat were major issues. He saw no easy resolution.
His only hope was that as she grew to know him she would put less emphasis on their differences. He knew her feelings. They were as strong as his own. Nothing was impossible. Not even this.
He contacted Hahnson on the scramble channel, his worried expression capturing the husky physician’s attention at once.
“Something’s wrong,” Hahnson guessed.
Mekashe sighed. “Very wrong. She’s afraid of cats.”
Hahnson made a face. “Still, people can overcome fear,” he added. “There are drugs to make the process easier.”
“She’s also a vegan and has a distaste for people who eat meat.”
Hahnson sat down on a nearby stool. “I see.”
“She is fragile and very sheltered. She was terrified of a creature we found in a badly programmed holoroom earlier. She screamed and panicked.” He looked as worried as he felt. “She couldn’t stop screaming. I think it might be what provoked the attack. I got her out of the way before I shifted into my true form and dispatched the creature. I also had words with the program manager. Such a glitch could have resulted in deaths. The holo tech is similar to the holon that we, ourselves, use. It permits an interface very close to reality.”
“Yes, I know,” Hahnson said quietly. “I’m sorry. I thought things were going well for you.”
“Thanks to your dravelzium and the new nanotech, they are,” Mekashe replied with a faint smile. “I forgot to reset the white noise ball and had a quick glimpse of her mind. She feels exactly as I do.” He drew in a breath. “However, she told me that her hand was only bruised when I held it, before you gave me the dravelzium. I broke several bones,” he added miserably. “I would not have harmed her for all the world.”
“I’m sure she knows that,” Hahnson told him. “It’s likely why she tried to keep the truth from you.”
Mekashe stared at his hands. “Humans are fragile.”
“Yes, they are,” came the reply. “But Dtimun and Rhemun overcame their problems with their strength, and you will, also.”
Mekashe looked relieved. He smiled. “I’ve been far more careful with her. There have been no more injuries. I am more grateful than you know for your help,” he added. “Without the nanotech, I would not have been able to touch her at all.”
“We’re discovering new things all the time. Your Lady Caneese has been responsible for many of those discoveries. She has a genius for biochemistry. And Maddie Ruszel has contributed some of her own innovations.” He chuckled. “They’re working on a new drug, one that’s gossiped to have tremendous implications down the road for mixed bondings.”
Mekashe nodded, without paying much attention to what the other man was saying. “The dravelzium has a longer duration than I thought.”
“Yes, this improved formula lasts for several days instead of the scant minutes that limited its use in the past,” the physician agreed. “Just don’t miss a dose.” He chuckled.
“I can promise you that I won’t. There’s another matter.” He held out his arm. “I told you about the creature in the holoroom. This was the result of my confrontation with it.”
Hahnson grimaced. “Those are bad bites. What sort of creature was it?”
“A very nasty construct, with a bad attitude. I dispatched it after sending Jasmine away, but it was difficult to bring down.”
Hahnson programmed his drug banks and activated the holo printer on Mekashe’s dresser. “Use that on it—” he indicated the packet of drugs “—and self-inject the antibiotic, as well. Even a virtual creature can carry bacteria, especially with the sort of holo used on that ship.”
“Truly. Thank you for the house call,” he added, chuckling.
“My pleasure. I can’t let the captain of the emperor’s guard die. I’d be spaced!”
“He may space me when he finds out that I’m contemplating a bonding with a human. We already have two humans bonded to high-ranking aristocrats—one of them, the mate of the emperor’s son, Dtimun.”
“I hardly think it will be a concern,” Hahnson assured him. “You might recall that the emperor is very fond of both Dr. Ruszel and Dr. Mallory. He loves both his grandsons. Not to mention the new granddaughter that Rhemun and Mallory recently presented him with.”
Mekashe chuckled. “I have to be at the christening, but it isn’t for two more terran months. It will be an event to remember. The second female born into Alamantimichar in its entire existence.”
“I’m going, as well,” Hahnson said, smiling. He nodded toward the packet he’d just sent. “Get busy with those meds. And call me if you need anything further. You know what signs to look for if the antibiotic doesn’t kick in shortly.”
“Yes, I do.” He checked his ring-watch. “I have to dress for the evening. I’m taking her to another concert tonight. I find that I enjoy human opera,” he added. “However, this is another sort of music.”
“What sort?”
He told Hahnson, who grimaced.
“Well, it’s not for every ear,” the physician replied. “But you may find it interesting, at least.”
“It isn’t a bad idea to try new things.”
“Exactly.” He glanced at a board beside him. “I see that Tresar and Akmaran are on the vessel with you. Tresar has a physical upcoming with Tellas in a week. Is he going to be back here by then?”
“I’ll make sure that he is,” Mekashe said with twinkling green eyes. “He hates physicals. But he has a condition that certainly requires monitoring.” He shook his head. “He isn’t seen very much. He detests shifting into a more human form just to be around outworlders, so he keeps to our private area below. He is what you humans might call eccentric.”
Hahnson chuckled. “I can think of a few better words, but I won’t comment. Plus he’s a member of the Imperial Clan,” he added. “We can’t afford to let anything happen to him. The emperor is a terror when he loses his temper, and he’s doubly protective about members of his own Clan. So remind Tresar about the physical, will you?”
“Certainly.”
“And let me know how the concert goes.” Hahnson glanced at the board again. There was a familiar chime. “I’m needed. How are you doing with dravelzium supplies?”
“I have more than enough for several weeks. Thank you for all your help.”
“I’m delighted to do what I can.” The physician grinned. “I’d love to be invited to the bonding, by the way.”
Mekashe laughed delightedly. “Rest assured that your name will head the list. I owe you a great deal. So does she.”
“Take care.”
“And you.”
* * *
MEKASHE DONNED A dark suit to wear to the concert and checked himself in the virtual mirror to make certain that he was presentable. He could hardly wait to see Jasmine again.
His arm was already healing, thanks to the efforts of Hahnson. The newer meds were far superior to the old ones.
He called for Jasmine at her door. The ambassador looked up from yet another paper book, grinned, waved and walked away. Jasmine was wearing a pale blue clinging dress that outlined her exquisite figure and matched her beautiful pale blue eyes. Her long hair was soft and wavy around her shoulders.
“You look exquisitely beautiful,” Mekashe said huskily.
“So do you. I mean, you look handsome!” Jasmine stuttered, flushing. “How is your arm?” she added worriedly.
“Mended,” he said, delighted at her concern for him. “My personal physician attended to it, and provided an antibiotic, as well. Even the bacteria in holorooms is quite lethal in the wrong situation.”
“So I’ve heard.” She shivered delicately. “I told Daddy about the creature. I’ll never forget how terrified I was.” She looked up. “I was so afraid that it had hurt you. The wound on your arm was bad enough, but it could have killed you!”
“I’m quite tough,” he said, amused.
“I know, but it was such a large creature,” she added worriedly. She searched his eyes. “I’m so glad you’re all right!”
His chest swelled at her relief, at the evidence of her fear for his well-being. Things were going to work out. He was certain of it.
“The concert starts shortly. We should go.”
“Yes. Daddy, I won’t be late,” she called.
“Be as late as you like, and have fun. Both of you!” he called back.
* * *
MEKASHE CHUCKLED AS they walked along en route to the concert hall, Jasmine’s small hand tucked into his. “Is your father ever without a book in his hands?”
“Not often.” Her eyes twinkled. “This one’s about chess. He’s determined to beat you, even if it’s only one time.”
He smiled. “He plays very well. He doesn’t think through the moves before he makes them.”
“He’s too impulsive. I’m like that, too, I’m afraid. I just jump right in without thinking.”
“In some circumstances, quick action can be a benefit, especially if lives are at stake.”
“My mother was wounded once, years before she died,” she said solemnly. “She was tending to a wounded diplomat when insurgents attacked. She jumped in front of one of her patients and took terrible fire from a weapon burst. But her quick action saved the man, who turned out to be related to the Terravegan president. She was given the highest civilian medal for it,” she added proudly.
“An exceptional act of courage.” He stopped walking and turned to her. “I’m sorry. I know how it feels to lose a parent.”
“I know you do.” She searched his eyes. “I want lots of children,” she said huskily. “So that my child isn’t an only child.”
He studied her quietly. “I’ve been thinking the same thing lately.”
Her heart skipped. She was thinking about children with black hair and golden skin and eyes that changed color.
He was looking back and thinking the same thing. A little girl like Rhemun’s with blond hair and palest gold skin would be exquisite, especially with the elegant shape of Cehn-Tahr eyes and their color-changing ability. But that would be a long shot.
He reached out and touched her long hair, a sensual touch that made her shiver with pleasure. She caught his hand and curled hers around it while they stood in the corridor and stared at each other until they realized they were being watched by several amused passengers.
He cleared his throat and led her down the corridor. “Perhaps we should go to the concert before we become a, how did you say it, floor show?”
She laughed, delighted. “I think we should, yes.”
But when they got to the concert auditorium, the scheduled Altairian concert had been canceled and one from a Terravegan performing company was substituted.
“Oh dear,” Jasmine said softly, when she read the description on the virtual billboard. “This may not be what we expected.”
He noticed her consternation. “What sort of concert is this?” he asked.
“Something totally strange and fascinating, if it’s done properly,” she replied. “It’s a form of ancient human music that came from a place called, I think, China. It was on old Earth, before the Rendering.”
He frowned. “Rendering?”
She nodded. “There was a cataclysm. All the records of that time were lost due to the global destruction, but a few precious vids made it out; mostly personal recordings of the time and place and what happened. A comet struck the earth, in one of the great oceans. There were these giant waves called tsunamis that devastated several continents and destroyed major cities. The survivors were hard-pressed to find food and potable water, shelter, safety. Eventually the people recovered and technology grew exponentially after some kindly interference by other world cultures. It was kept hidden from the majority of the population, because they were afraid of outworlders.” She made a demure smile. “Sort of like me.”
“I’m an outworlder. You aren’t afraid of me,” he pointed out.
“Yes, but these were apparently much different from humans,” she replied. “In fact, I believe the gossip was that they were Rojoks.”
“Rojoks are amazingly humanoid in appearance,” he said. “Except that they have dusky skin and slit eyes and six fingers and toes. And all of them are blond.”
“All of them?”
“Yes. In the military, length of hair is used to identify officers. A field marshal, like Chacon, has hair down past his waist in back.”
“Chacon.” She shivered. “I’ve read stories about him. He was a barbarian.”
“You are thinking of the emperor Mangus Lo,” he corrected. “Chacon was known all over the three galaxies for his compassion in battle. He was known to stop an attack that would have devastated the opposing force to allow them to remove their wounded and dying from the battlefield.”
“Really?” she exclaimed.
He nodded. “His reputation for chivalry is deserved. He is an amazing leader, even as a politician. He now heads his government, and notorious prison camps like Ahkmau no longer exist.”
“I must have mistaken the names,” she confessed. “Honestly, there are so many that I can’t remember at all. I’m afraid that Standard and French are all I speak, and some of the news reports are in languages that don’t translate well.”
“Understandable.”
“Still, I’m not keen on the military. Any military,” she added, not noticing her companion’s expression, although his hand did seem to jerk faintly in her grasp. “Soldiers kill people, in all sorts of horrible ways.” She made a mock shiver. “I look forward to the day when we can do away with armies forever.”
“You may have an extremely long wait,” he pointed out, trying not to take offense. “The military protects us from predation by insurgents bent on destruction.”
“Yes, but are there really any insurgents left?” she asked innocently. “The galaxies are going through an unprecedented period of peace.”
“Peace is an illusion, Jasmine,” he said quietly, trying not to voice the resentment and hurt he felt. He’d been in the military all his life, and she hated it. This was another issue they’d face down the line, when she knew what he did for a living. “There will always be regional conflicts.”
She drew in a long breath. “Oh, I suppose there will,” she said. “But at least that’s no concern of ours, right?” She brightened, looking up at him affectionately.
“Right.” He said the word without enthusiasm.
She didn’t notice. She was almost ethereal with happiness. She loved being with Mekashe. He was the most handsome man she’d ever seen, and he cared for her already. She had visions of a wonderful future that included him.
They reached the doors of the auditorium and Mekashe presented a microchip with their ticket purchases verified. The man at the door noted it in his reader, smiled and gave them their seat assignments.
“Daddy and I love Chinese music.” She bit her lip and looked up at him. “But I’m not sure about this performance,” she added, having noted the source of the music, which was listed. She was familiar with the background of the symphony composition, which was an experimental reconstruction of what the composer supposed to be authentic music from an ancient human society. “I hope you’ll like it.”
He chuckled softly. “If you love it, so shall I,” he replied.
* * *
FAMOUS LAST WORDS. The sounds grated on his ears like the screaming of galots in the night. There was no sense or rhyme or regularity to the rhythm, and the instruments seemed to be composed of tin drums and some odd reedlike tubes. There were also strangely shaped flat things with strings that produced an amazing reverberation but no recognizable tune.
“They say this was pieced together from bits of old vids they found in the wreckage when Earth was devastated,” she said. “Two of the instruments are from some island colony and others are from a city that fell. They were found with pieces of musical script that had ‘China’ at the top, so the music they recovered was called Chinese.”
Privately, Mekashe thought that they’d cobbled several musical cultures into one badly reconstructed one. He’d never heard such a cacophony of terrible sounds.
“Well, there was a protest from this man who lived on New Cathay, one of the very old Earth colonies,” she confessed. “He said that what they’d made was a combination of Island, Scottish and New Age music and the sheet music they found wasn’t Chinese either—it was torn pieces of other forms of music that they had a computer arrange. He said the computer should be shot for the appalling result, and it should be burned. He was quite vocal. Of course, his was the only protest, and nobody listened. He was very old.”
“Oh? How old?”
“Ninety,” she said, shaking her head. “Amazing that he could even read the article about the new music!”
From his vantage point of being over two hundred and fifty years old, he could sympathize with the human on New Cathay. He was amused at the thought of Jasmine’s expression when she knew his true age. And his true form.
That bothered him. She’d already reacted badly to one alien species. But she knew Mekashe. Surely she wouldn’t be afraid of him! Not when she cared so much. He forced the thought out of his mind.
* * *
THE CONCERT WAS finally over. They were filing out of the concert chamber. Mekashe was amused at some of the whispered comments about the utter horror of the various combined musical traditions.
“You know,” she said after a minute, “maybe that old man wasn’t so crazy after all.”
He chuckled. “Perhaps not.” He turned to her. “Shall we have a cup of, what did you call it, cappuccino, before we part? The dining room is still open.”
“I’d like that,” she said, as reluctant as he was to part for the night.
* * *
THEY SAT SIPPING the hot beverage without speaking for a few minutes, watching the stars out the window and the occasional meteor passing.
“Space is so big,” she commented.
“Bigger than you can imagine,” he agreed.
“You’ve traveled a lot, haven’t you?”
“Yes. My business takes me to many other planets.”
She cocked her head and studied him. “You told me that you were a consultant. But you work in some political area, don’t you? That’s what Daddy thinks,” she added with a smile.
He shrugged, a very human trait he’d picked up from the humans aboard the Morcai. “In a sense, yes.”
“I knew it!”
He smiled at her, drinking in her exquisite appearance. “You are the most beautiful creature I’ve ever known,” he said softly.
She flushed and laughed under her breath. “I’m not beautiful.”
“You are to me,” he said. “All my life, I’ve dreamed of a tall, willowy woman with a kind heart and beauty. I was shocked when we met by accident. You were the embodiment of my dream.”
She smiled as she studied him. “Sometimes dreams walk,” she said.
He nodded. “They do, indeed.”
“I dreamed of a tall man with jet-black hair,” she confessed. “But he had no features that I could discern.” She hesitated. “Although, to be honest, it wasn’t so much a dream as a nightmare,” she said, frowning slightly. “I was terrified of him. He burst out of what looked like a plastic human body and became something else, something very scary.” She sipped her cooling coffee, unaware of Mekashe’s stricken look. “I woke up screaming. That was when Mama was still alive. She tucked me back in and said that sometimes our fears manifested in dreams, and that I wasn’t to worry—it was just my subconscious stepping on my brain.” She laughed. “I never had that dream again.”
He was sipping his own cooling coffee, feeling a sense of despair that he couldn’t even voice. It was as if she knew the truth about him without ever being told.
“Why so solemn?” she asked after a minute, when he didn’t speak. “It was just a dream. I’m sure yours was much nicer.”
“Much nicer indeed,” he said, and forced a smile. He looked around. “They’ll be closing soon. We should go.”
“Okay.”
She finished her coffee, he finished his and he escorted her out of the room and back to the suite she shared with her father. He was very distant.
“I didn’t offend you somehow, did I?” she asked suddenly.
He arched his eyebrows, human fashion. “No. Of course not! I have a project I’m working on. It occupies me too much,” he added with a smile. “What would you like to do tomorrow?”
She brightened at the thought that he wanted to take her out again. “Could we do one of the tourist things in the holoroom, you know, those scripted excursions to other planets that they offer? They’re monitored carefully,” she said, recalling that their sad experience earlier had been in an unscripted holo re-creation. “One of them is Dacerius. I’ve always been fascinated by it!”
“The desert planet?” he asked, smiling. “Certainly.”
“It’s a desert planet?”
He nodded. “They have these great mounts called Yomuth. I’m told they resemble a small creature that inhabited human worlds called a hamster. However, these are bigger than horses and they go like the wind itself.”
She caught her breath. “You’ve been there,” she assumed. “You’ve ridden them!”
He chuckled. “Yes. My travels have taken me to Dacerius. They also have a subspecies of reptile called Naagashe, a tiny white serpent with blue eyes. It purrs. Tourists purchase them.”
“Reptiles that purr?” she exclaimed. “That doesn’t sound scary at all! Do they have them for sale?”
He laughed delightedly at her enthusiasm. “Yes, they do.”
“Then I must have one! I can’t wait!” She hesitated. “Can we do the tour? Will you have time?”
“I am on holiday, until the ship docks at our spaceport above Memcache,” he reminded her. “And, yes, I have the time. I would make it, even if I didn’t, to be with you,” he added softly.
She caught her breath. “I love being with you.”
“As I love being with you, Jasmine.”
He tugged her close, into a recessed area adjacent to the suites, bent and kissed her with suppressed hunger. She pushed closer into his arms and tugged his head down, locking her arms around his neck.
He was more grateful for the dravelzium than ever before, because the hunger he felt for her grew daily. Without the drug, nothing would have spared her. And that was impossible. Cehn-Tahr were conventional. They must be bonded before intimate contact. But he wanted her so badly that he was ready to throw convention to the winds.
It was with a great effort that he finally managed to draw away. The taste of her was sweet on his mouth. She looked as hungry as he felt. Her face was flushed, her eyes almost closed, sensual and sweet as they roved over his face.
“I love the way you taste,” he teased. “I could make a meal of your mouth.”
She laughed softly. “I love the way you taste, too,” she whispered.
He hugged her close, but not too close, remembering the broken bones in her poor hand. Reluctantly, he let her go.
“Tomorrow. After breakfast?”
She nodded. “Tomorrow.”
He smiled slowly, taking in the picture she made with her mouth softly swollen from his kisses, her hair disheveled where his hands had grasped it. She looked as if she belonged to him. The thought made him ecstatic.
“Good night,” he said.
“Good night,” she replied, and reluctantly went back into her suite.
* * *
HER FATHER WAS SNORING, asleep in his easy chair with the book open on his chest. She woke him.
“Back so soon?” he asked, disoriented.
“It’s after midnight, ship time.” She laughed.
“How was the concert?”
She made a face. “Well, I wouldn’t call it music. A rendering of Sibericus was presented instead of the scheduled Altairian concert. And Mekashe looked as if he was being drawn and dismembered between two fast horses.”
He chuckled. “That’s exactly how I looked when I had to listen to that horrid collection of mangled tones. Whatever they say, that isn’t Chinese music. I found a vid on the Nexus, from a private collection. Remind me, I’ll play it for you. It’s exquisite. The real thing.”
“I’d love to hear it. Daddy,” she said, laying down her small purse, “how would you feel, if it became serious with Mekashe and me?”
“I like him very much,” he said. He hesitated. “But I think you should let matters progress slowly. You don’t have to rush into something. Not when he’ll be a neighbor, of a sort, when we reach Memcache.”
She turned and looked at him. He was hiding something. She always knew. “You know something that you aren’t telling me.”
“Perhaps,” he confessed. “Nothing deadly. Just some gossip. But I like Mekashe very much, and I’d have no problem adding him to the family. If you want to.”
She hugged him hard, not noticing the way he’d worded the sentence. “Oh, thank you! I was worried that you might want me to look for a human male...”
He burst out laughing. “Jasmine, I’d only have second thoughts if your intended had tentacles. And you can quote me.”
She grinned. “Okay! Good night, Daddy.”
“Good night, child. Sleep well.”
* * *
THE NIGHTMARE SHE had that night was the old one, but this time the man in her dreams had Mekashe’s face. He was holding her, in the silence of a primeval forest. It was quiet all around, except for night sounds, and she was so hungry for him that it was almost like pain.
Then, without warning, there was an attack and Mekashe shifted into some form that she’d seen only once, in the nightmare she had as a child. He became a monster, with claws and fangs and fur, and she screamed and screamed...!