SUMMARY

Kaesah, a geneticist from an all-female species living on the
other side of the galaxy, is stranded on Earth due to the death of her mate who
was vital in piloting their starship. Kaesah must report the disturbing events
on Earth that could impact the survival of her species. To reach her world,
Kaesah has no choice but to find a human woman capable of Deep Merge, a process
required to guide her ship through the galaxy. Can Kaesah overcome her aversion
to humans to form a harmonious bond with one?

Antonia Lorne, Toni, is mourning the death of her spouse.
Retiring to bed one night on the promise to herself to
start living again, Toni has no idea that she will awaken on a starship with a
new course for her life charted. Can she overcome her fear of the unknown to
perform Deep Merge?

Two women, from different worlds, will join together in a
profound and unique way that will herald the start of a new path for their
planets and a promising future for themselves.

deep merge

deep merge

linda north

Sapphire Books

Salinas, california

Deep Merge

Copyright
© 2014 by Linda North All rights reserved.

ISBN EPUB - 978-1-939062-53-6

This
is a work of fiction - names, characters, places, and incidents are the product
of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual
persons living or dead, business, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

All
rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or
transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or
other electronic or mechanical methods, without written permission of the
publisher.

Cover
Design - Linda North

Editor - Kaycee Hawn

Book Designer - LJ Reynolds

Copy Edits - Peggy Adams

Sapphire Books

Salinas, CA 93912

www.sapphirebooks.com

Printed in the United
States of America

First edition – April
2014

This and other Sapphire Books titles can be found at

www.sapphirebooks.com

Dedication

For Danny Gail, my anchor.

Acknowledgements

A special thanks to a special beta reader, Sue Hilliker. I also
want to thank Stacey Watts, Lee McLean- Houle, and Lynn Nash.

A big thank you to Chris and all
the Sapphire gang for their support.

Sapphire Rocks.

Chapter One

December 2012

No words were spoken. No sounds heard, save for quiet sobs of
grief from pain borne by loss. Two, holding each other close. Each felt
incomplete and lost.

“Why?” Kaesah sundered the silence.

Her beloved Atimki trembled in her arms. Why could never be
unraveled, would never be answered. Why would always remain an enigma as
long as they were performers in this dance of cosmic existence.

Atimki sighed. “You will find another Anchor. You will return home
and—”

“No!”

“Kaesah, my beloved, I can no longer Deep Merge. With all my soul,
I wish it were otherwise. We swore an oath to protect and serve NaQwi. You will
do this. It is your sworn duty.”

“Void can swallow my sworn duty. You are my Anchor. There will be
no other.”

With a growl, Atimki thrust Kaesah from her. Black eyes stared
hard into equally dark eyes that dropped their gaze in shame. Atimki’s brown
cheeks darkened to dusky red. “Bu chuk! You would
dishonor my memory—and our people? I am leader—Trynt. You will obey me.”

Kaesah winced at the insult. She was indeed a bu chuk, one devoid
of honor. “Forgive. I would never dishonor you, or our people. I swear, on my
honor, I will obey your orders.” Hesitantly she stepped forward, almost
touching Atimki, her eyes pleading.

Atimki drew Kaesah back in an embrace. They rested their heads on
each other’s shoulders, seeking Merge, only to have it elude them.

Drozt, that insidious disease that had menaced their people for
over twenty thousand years, prevented Merge as it stole the life from Atimki.
Most victims never suspected they were infected, as when first contracted, the
virus could lay dormant for over a year. When the virus activated, for most
victims, there were no symptoms. If this disease held any mercy at all, it was
that death happened almost instantly when blood vessels in the brain ruptured.

Only those victims who were
Merged ever exhibited symptoms. These were the inability of the victim and her mate to sense each
other’s emotions, mental presence, and to Deep Merge. Death followed the
symptoms in two to three months.

Atimki stroked Kaesah’s black hair and then grasped her hand.
“Come, my treasure, lie in my arms and share with me the pleasure that you
alone can give.”

Loving warmth lay behind Atimki’s words, yet Kaesah could not feel
it without Merge, that empathic bond which enabled them to experience each
other’s emotions. Their joining would be but a pale ghost of what they had
shared for so long. Yet it would be a cherished moment to stop time until
Destiny once again thrust it back in motion.

****

The raucous blare of an emergency vehicle’s siren brought Kaesah’s
head up to see the hanging plants in their living room sway from vibrations the
sound produced. Many of these Urtye cities were noisy, hazardous places.
Baltimore, Maryland, where this studio apartment was located, was one such
city. Baltimore was also current headquarters for Excel Laboratories that the
two NaQwins had established soon after their arrival on Urtye a year ago.
Branch labs were located in large metropolitan areas of eastern and southern
regions of the United States to test blood, urine, and tissue samples provided
by doctors and clinics for routine medical analysis. However, the actual
purpose of these labs was to send specific blood samples to headquarters for
tests to find NaQwin genes in Urtye’s populace that resulted from mating
between NaQwin colonists and Urtyne females thirteen thousand years ago.

Arrival of the Phlurx halted their mission.

One month ago, sensors on their ship, Flowering Star, which
was cloaked and in orbit, had detected an extra-dimensional rift opening over
Urtye’s north pole, and alerted the two by an
encrypted message sent by the omni-unit to their office computer. They knew the
Phlurx had but one purpose for their presence on Urtye, and that was genetic
research. The Phlurx could discover NaQwin genes in Urtynes and eventually
connect them to the NaQwin ability to Deep Merge. The two had commenced plans
for their immediate departure to NaQwi to inform the Supreme Council. Drozt had
changed those plans.

“We must initiate preparations in finding an Anchor.” Atimki
studied her mate, who sat on a cushion on the other side of the small, low
table.

“From amongst Urtynes.” Disgust colored Kaesah’s voice.
“You would have me Merge with a savage, an alien? Our
council will send a ship to find out why we have not returned and I will go
back to NaQwi with them.”

“Our mission was for four years.” Atimki’s tone became droll. “The
Phlurx will not go into suspended animation while you wait for one of our
ships. With the Phlurx trying to create hybrids with Urtynes, it will not take
them long to discover NaQwin genes. If they have not done so
already.”

They had discussed this when the Phlurx were first detected,
Kaesah not convinced a threat was imminent. “If the soulless ones
discover our genes, they might not link them to our species. No evidence exist
that they have ever abducted a NaQwin, so they would have no data on our
genetics.”

“So you have said before. Do not underestimate the Phlurx. The grave
importance of this situation requires that we inform the Supreme Council with
haste.” Atimki’s features stiffened, her eyes piercing, voice hard. “You will
depart to NaQwi as soon as an Anchor is found.”

“I gave you my oath that I would obey your orders.”

They drank their tea in silence. Atimki put her cup on the table
and then gazed at Kaesah. “To date, samples that are positive for our genes as
dominants are sparse. We will check in two months to see if there are
sufficient numbers from which to select suitable candidates for Anchor.”

“Samples gathered five thousand years ago showed that our
dominants were limited to three percent of Urtye’s female population that
carried genetics for homosexuality.”

“I see you did more in your genetic history studies than use the
omni-unit to take a virtual stroll on a virtual planet.”

Atimki, a First Rank Geneticist, was mentor to Kaesah, who was an
Associate Geneticist. While on their way to Urtye, Atimki had assigned Kaesah
to study the results of genetic samples gathered on Urtye five thousand years
ago. Atimki had monitored the omni-unit and discovered Kaesah was watching a
virtual nature program instead of doing her assignment.

Kaesah frowned. “Did I not pass the quiz you gave me?”

“Truth.”

“In my studies, it was postulated that certain genes from our Asun
ancestors’ seeding of this planet’s primitive ancestors, done two hundred
thousand years ago, produced Urtyne females that were genetic homosexuals. This
is why our colonists were genetically compatible with these particular Urtyne
females and not ones that were not genetic homosexuals. It is also the reason
our genes were dominant in a small percentage of these females that were the
descendants of our colonists.”

“That is one theory, and unproven. Homosexuality is universal
among most advanced life forms.” Atimki lifted an eyebrow. “Regardless, how
fortunate that the Anchor you choose will have an attraction to females.”

“Please, I do not wish to discuss that.” Kaesah thought about what
was required to return home. “Deep Merge with an Urtyne troubles me. The enzyme
might kill her. The Myr might not accept her.” Kaesah almost hoped an Urtyne
would be unable to Deep Merge. It made her queasy thinking of Merge with an
Urtyne and emotions they would share…and what could follow.

“The enzyme will work, the Myr will accept her, and Deep Merge
will occur.”

“You are so certain of this?”

“Since the ability to survive the enzyme is encoded in our DNA, I
think the probability great that our dominants the Urtyne female carries will
enable her to survive it and Deep Merge. I also believe there is a possibility
Deep Merge will activate our genes in the Urtyne, creating changes in some of
her body systems to make those systems more NaQwin. If this occurs, it will
bolster the hypothesis that Urtyne DNA is a possible solution to our species’
survival.”

“As hybrids.” Kaesah frowned, her voice
filled with distaste. “If Urtyne genes are required for our survival, we would
have that in common with the soulless ones if they are successful in their
attempts to hybridize with Urtynes.”

“We are related to Urtynes, whereas those soulless Phlurx clones
are not. They must splice selected strands of DNA with that of Urtynes. The
information our omni-unit has garnered indicates that the hybrids produced are
sterile and have physical problems.”

Kaesah sneered, voice contemptuous. “The Urtynes in power are bu
chuks. They barter their people to the Phlurx, and provide geneticists to
assist them, for Phlurx technology that benefits the few in their goal of
controlling this planet.” After learning of the Phlurx presence, Atimki had
their omni-unit infiltrate Urtyne covert governmental networks, which led to
discovering that many of Urtye’s advanced countries aided them for technology.
“Perhaps we should have our omni-unit access media outlets on this planet and
provide them with information on the Phlurx to release to the populace.”

Atimki shook her head. “It is not our function to interfere. We
could cause more harm than benefit. One reason this planet’s governments have
kept secret their contact with extraterrestrials, is if the populace learned of
the Phlurx presence it could crumble the foundations of many Urtyne religious
beliefs, causing panic. Now with these governments’ subsequent involvement with
the Phlurx, it could collapse them. The resulting social turmoil would be
catastrophic and destroy this planet.”

The mention of Urtyne religions led Kaesah to a possible
consequence of the Phlurx presence. “Many Urtyne main religions teach hatred of
homosexuals. A few unenlightened nations have laws that mete out death for
homosexuals. Some benighted politicians in the United States are attempting to
insert their intolerant religious beliefs into the laws. If the Phlurx give
Urtynes a method to identify genetics for homosexuality, they could use it to
determine what offspring to abort. Even use it to initiate a campaign of
genocide on those who carry the genetics.”

Atimki gave her mate a pleased smile. “You have impressed me with
your knowledge and insight.”

Kaesah beamed at Atimki’s praise. “I monitor current political and
social events of Urtynes. That conclusion seemed logical.”

“Your insight further stresses the dangers presented by the Phlurx
presence. They may have already given Urtynes this information. That could put
our species’ survival in jeopardy. I will include this information in my
reports to the Supreme Council.”

“When I reach home with your reports, what do you think the
reaction of the Supreme Council will be?”

Atimki was silent for a moment, her expression one of
contemplation. “I believe the Supreme Council will send a small number of
specialized colonists to this planet to expel the Phlurx and keep the more
benighted Urtynes out of power. Some colonists will take Urtyne mates. A select
number of Urtynes could be sent to NaQwi as mates for chosen citizens so that
our geneticists can track their descendants to see what impact Urtyne genes
will have in elimination of drozt.”

Kaesah’s eyes widened with shock, mouth opening.

Atimki chuckled and lifted an eyebrow. “This shocks you?”

“Truth. It does. Drozt will not reach
the stage where it will threaten our survival for fifteen thousand years. It
would be premature to introduce Urtyne genes into our population before the
search for a cure is exhausted.”

“Why delay in finding out? If Urtynes are a solution, then
millions of us would not die because we delayed while searching for a cure.”
Atimki’s tone became sarcastic. “The true reason you are shocked is because you
think Urtynes inferior and do not want them to ‘contaminate’ our species. Is
this not so, my little xenophobe?”

Kaesah did not protest. Those were her exact thoughts. She let out
a resigned sigh. “How soon do you expect this colonization to happen?”

“In view of the Phlurx possibly discovering our genes, I believe
our government will arrange colonization to occur within a decade. The possible
implementation of genetic cleansing by benighted Urtynes will be an important
concern.”

Kaesah scowled. “These Urtynes have not made much progress in past
millennia in breeding out their savagery, or their ignorance. Perhaps a
pathogen contaminates the water they drink, which impedes their advancement.”

Atimki laughed. “You are inflexible in your prejudices.” She
paused. “Our presence on this planet will need to be hidden.”

“Our people would have no difficulty blending in with Urtye’s
populace, since we are similar in appearance to the populace that inhabits some
of the areas of what the Urtynes call South Asia.”

“True,” Atimki agreed. “Any offspring our colonists have with
their Urtyne mates will further blend in. Many of them will infiltrate
governments of this planet and gain power.”

“Atimki, you missed your true vocation, you should be an event
analyst.” Kaesah grimaced. “I cannot imagine anyone deliberately wanting an
Urtyne mate.”

“I know you find that distasteful. Nevertheless, if all goes well
with Deep Merge the Urtyne will be your mate—in every way. You might mother a
child with her. That child could represent the future of our species. You must
treat your Urtyne mate as an equal, protect, and cherish her.”

“I do not want an Urtyne mate. I want only you. Do not leave me.”
Tears pooled in Kaesah’s eyes. Left unspoken was her regret that she would
never mother daughters with Atimki.

Atimki rose from the floor, sat beside Kaesah, and hugged her.
Atimki’s voice was choked. “I do not want to leave, but I have no choice.” She
lifted Kaesah’s chin so she could look in her mate’s eyes. “If Destiny decrees,
we will travel together again in a future life, as I am sure we have many times
in past ones.”

It did not lessen Kaesah’s pain that, like most NaQwins, she
believed Destiny a living entity that entwined certain souls to assist each
other along the path to their ultimate purpose.

“I want you to find contentment after I leave,” Atimki said. “Do
not hide your soul from the one you choose as Anchor.” Her eyes beseeched.
“Will you try? For me?”

Kaesah rested her head on Atimki’s shoulder. “I will try.” She
attempted to lighten the mood. “Perhaps you should be a pair bonder.”

Atimki’s chuckle ruffled Kaesah’s hair. “I would pair the wrong
people together and find myself exiled to Xisos’ frozen wastes.” She leaned her
cheek against Kaesah’s head. “There are Urtyne females who possess intellectual
and intelligence levels equal to ours. Many of them are attractive.” Atimki’s
voice became teasing. “Do you not find this so?”

Kaesah lifted her head from Atimki’s shoulder, tone wry. “I have
noticed how you admire some of them. It is your intent to make me jealous, is
it not?” They laughed. Kaesah’s features became somber, her voice soft. “My
Atimki, I shall always love you.” Tenderly, she stroked her mate’s cheek.

“It soothes my soul that you do. Your love shall go with me when I
leave.” Atimki stood and pulled Kaesah up. “Come. Let us prepare while I…”

While I still have time, Kaesah completed.

****

February 2013

Kaesah prepared the lab’s computer to download data transmitted
from the omni-unit. The lab’s Urtyne computer lacked the advancement of the
omni-unit and had required modification with NaQwin technology to operate with
adequate efficiency. She and Atimki were conducting research after work hours
in their office at lab headquarters.

For a half hour, she perused data, correlating it with information
from their branch labs. Kaesah understood the data written in English, as she
and Atimki spent their first month of arrival to Urtye aboard Flowering Star
while they learned that language. They accomplished this quickly by linking
their minds to the ship’s omni-unit. They also familiarized themselves with the
culture of the United States by having their omni-unit access various data
banks and media outlets.

“Atimki, come see this.” Kaesah rolled her stool to one side to
allow Atimki a clear view over her shoulder to read the computer screen. The
only sound heard for the next minute was squeaks of Kaesah’s stool when she
wiggled to get comfortable.

“Remarkable,” Atimki said as she moved closer to the computer.
“After five thousand years, females with genetic homosexuality remain constant
at four percent, as does the three percent within this group that carry NaQwin
genes as a dominant.” Atimki keyed more data into the computer and read the
results. “The approximate numbers of females possessing dominants are four
million.”

“How did you arrive at that conclusion when we have just
sixty-four samples with our genes? The data is confined to eastern and southern
regions of the United States.”

“Over the past three centuries the United States has been settled
by different ethnic groups of Urtynes from other regions. I believe the samples
are a reliable indicator of the percentages planet wide.”

“Sixty-four samples are not many from which to find suitable
candidates.”

“Agreed. I think one hundred and fifty
to two hundred samples are required.” Atimki entered additional information
into the computer. The screen now displayed a map of the United States with
locales highlighted in yellow where they had planned to establish labs at a
future date. “We will expand to some of these areas now.” Atimki looked at
Kaesah, her expression serious. “Kaesah, time is a commodity we do not own. You
must find an Anchor within a year. Your choices for candidates might not be
perfect. Choose one you think will be adequate.”

“I shall do so.” Kaesah knew selection of an Anchor would be hers,
as any day Atimki could die.

“First factors in the choice of an Anchor should be age and
health.”

“Most medical facilities store information in databases, so our
omni-unit can access them.”

“When candidates are narrowed down, more personal information will
be required, such as habits, education, and interests. Those who are pair
bonded will be ruled out.”

Kaesah squirmed at this last part. It was expected that she and
her Anchor would pair bond. She drove that disturbing thought away. “There are
Urtyne experts who can be hired to acquire minute details of an Urtyne’s life.
When the right candidate is found, how do we convince her to cooperate?”

“Ahh!” Atimki clamped her hands on her
temples as she collapsed onto the floor in a fetal position.

“Atimki!” Kaesah bolted from the stool
and knelt beside her mate. Icy fear flooded through her veins as she grasped
Atimki’s shoulders to shake them in an attempt to rouse her. Atimki’s
respiration was erratic and shallow.

“No.” Kaesah cradled her mate as she cried.

Kaesah could do nothing but hold her beloved for the few seconds
left of her life. She would take Atimki to Flowering Star and prepare
her for the journey home.

Chapter Two

Marietta, Georgia

April 2013

A bead of sweat trickled down Toni’s bridge to the tip of her
nose, fell, and dotted the red clay soil beside a dandelion she was extracting
with the weed puller. She paused to tuck a sandy-brown curl under her straw hat
and then swipe her right forearm across her sweaty brow. She stood to survey
the garden’s neat rows of planted seeds. Soon, new life would thrust its way
through the soil and toward the light. The knowledge that her toil would make
the garden flourish brought a good measure of satisfaction.

The care of this garden was her salvation these past ten weeks
since the death of her wife, Lisa. She had yet to adjust to the void within
her, had yet to learn how to keep it from swallowing her down into blackness.
When the abyss sucked her down, she used the garden as a lifeline to haul
herself out.

Today was Sunday. Tomorrow morning she’d go to her doctor’s
appointment for her annual physical. After the appointment, she’d return to
work as manager of the insurance agency she and Lisa had opened soon after they
graduated from the University of Georgia nine years ago. Her lead agent, Mandy,
would be relieved. Mandy was practically the whole office staff, save for
Allison, the part-time agent.

She removed her gloves, placed them along with the weed puller
into the garden box by the back porch, and hung her hat on a peg by the
backdoor. Perspiration underneath her shirt chilled and caused goose bumps to
pop up when she entered her air-conditioned kitchen. She got a glass of iced
sweet tea, took several swigs of the chilled liquid, and sat at the dinette
table to decide what chores she should plan for next week.

The metronomic tick tock of the clock on the kitchen wall drew her
attention. 11:47 a.m. Time of death: 8:35 a.m., January 27, 2013. Cause of
death: sudden cardiac death attributed to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Lisa
never had any serious health problems and her medical exams found no sign that
anything was wrong.

That Sunday morning had been nippy but clear. The beep-beep of the
alarm clock roused Lisa from bed for her jog. Toni had opted out of the jog,
preferring to read the newspaper and prepare breakfast to share with Lisa when
she returned. Lisa had given Toni a kiss before she headed out the door and
down the quiet neighborhood road at a brisk trot.

That kiss would be their last one. Their dreams of a bright future
together would end. Like Lisa’s ashes, those dreams were now gray and dry. In
October, she would scatter Lisa’s ashes on the mountaintop in North Georgia
where they had enjoyed picnicking surrounded by the autumn brilliance of red
and gold.

She wiped away tears as she headed for the shower to wash off
sweat and grime. Only time alone would wash away her acute pain of loss.

****

October 2013

A knock on her office door drew Kaesah’s attention away from the
computer screen. “Come in.”

Her secretary, Jenny, entered holding up a thick manila envelope.
“Dr. Shah, this was just delivered. It’s not addressed to the lab, but to you.”

Kaesah took the envelope from Jenny’s outstretched hand. “Thank
you.”

Jenny exited, but left an artificial scent Kaesah found
unpleasant. She could not understand the Urtyne custom of dousing one’s body
with chemicals.

Kaesah examined the package’s front, noting the delivery label
with her alias, Dr. Niyati Shah. When the two NaQwins arrived on Urtye, the
omni-unit had accessed files of governmental agencies and institutions,
allowing them to falsify, or add records to Urtyne data sites to show they had
degrees in medicine, obtain birth certificates, social security cards, and
driver’s licenses. They had also created a false history of credit card use and
bank transactions.

By the return address, Kaesah knew the envelope contained in-depth
investigations on ten candidates for Anchor that she had ordered from a private
investigator. Ages of the candidates ranged from twenty-four to thirty-six.
From her observations of Urtyne females, twenty-four seemed an age when most
were capable enough to make sound decisions based on life experiences and
logic. She knew this theory was not perfect, but she had to start somewhere.

Urtyne life spans were approximately half that of NaQwins, so
thirty-six seemed a good age to stop. Urtynes aged faster than NaQwins. Kaesah
was fifty-two in Urtye years, but appeared to be an Urtyne in her late
twenties. Atimki was seventy-eight in Urtye years when she died, but had
appeared to be an Urtyne in her mid-thirties.

Another reason for an upper age limit of thirty-six was
childbearing. While she did not want to consider it, the possibility existed
that her government would request that she and the Urtyne mother a child to see
the results of potential mating of their two species. Unlike NaQwins, who
remained fertile until they were around one hundred years old, the fertility
window for Urtyne females was limited. While many Urtyne females remained
fertile into their forties, there existed within this group a greater
possibility of occurrence of birth defects. With a child who would be a hybrid,
why take that risk?

For the next hour, she read the information, making two separate
stacks on the desktop. One for possible, the other for no.
The possible stack contained three files. After rereading all three files, she
chose one candidate as Anchor, and, much to her displeasure—future mate.

****

Toni flipped to the next page in the garden catalog when a yawn
escaped her. She dog-eared the page to mark her place, set the catalog on the
bedside table, and clicked off the lamp. The pillow cushioned her head as she
stared up at the ceiling, observing the slow sway of shadows cast by moonlight
that beamed through limbs of the oak tree outside her bedroom window.

Her thoughts drifted back to that morning’s pilgrimage to the
mountaintop where she had scattered Lisa’s ashes, and dreams they had shared,
to the crisp autumn wind. The day had been beautiful, the October sky a
cloudless, crystal blue. Trees were decked out in their autumn finery of
various shades of red, orange, gold, and russet. Lisa would have relished that
day. She’d have collected a few leaves and inspected each one, then shown them
to Toni and informed her that this red one was a black gum, the gold one a
sugar maple.

Tomorrow was Sunday. She would rise with the sun, clean out the
garden, and force herself to finish the task of packing Lisa’s clothes. Monday,
she’d drop the clothes off at Goodwill after work, stop at her favorite deli,
and treat herself to a box of Cajun chicken wings along with a pint container
of banana pudding.

She rolled onto her right side and slid an arm beneath the pillow.
Memories of Lisa welled up, bringing hot tears. Memories of how the two of them
relaxed after an arduous workday by listening to their favorite music, playing
Scrabble or Monopoly, or watching old classic movies on TV. Then there were
sweet memories of making love.

Her life had centered on Lisa ever since they met in college. Lisa
had been her best friend and lover, and family, after Toni was disowned by her
Southern Baptist parents when, at age twenty, she had come out to them.

It was time to make an effort to get on with her life. She’d start
accepting dinner invitations from Mandy. Ed, Mandy’s husband, had a green thumb
like her. They could trade gardening tips.

Her friends, Julia and Lois, had called three nights ago and
invited her to go to Oktoberfest next weekend in Helen. She had begged off.
Tomorrow morning she would call Julia to accept the offer.

Another yawn escaped as weariness descended onto her mind and
limbs, pressing her into sleep as consciousness faded.

****

Floating, she had a sensation of floating. Wake up, you’re
dreaming. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up! Her body wouldn’t obey her commands.

She battled to break free from the dream that gripped her, feeling
her heart thud hard in her chest, and fear numb her. Then the feel of a solid
surface was beneath her back. She forced her eyes to crack open, but a bright
light blinded her.

The pull of oblivion was too strong. Toni tumbled back into
slumber.

Chapter Three

It had been simple to maneuver Lal, her scout ship, above
the subject’s house, transport down by use of an antigravity converter, secure
the subject, and transport her up to Flowering Star. These Urtynes
believed themselves safe behind the walls of their homes with their doors and
windows bolted. They had no method to counter technology that allowed her, or
the Phlurx, to alter the molecular structure of a roof section and pass through
it as if it consisted of mist.

She detached the antigravity converter from the subject’s chest,
engaged a diagnostic scanner, and watched as a bright light surrounded the
subject.

A section of wall activated to show diagnostic results. The
subject was healthy. Her reproductive organs were intact and appeared
functional. No propensity for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, or any
debilitating neurological disorders were discovered in earlier tests of her
DNA.

She deactivated the scanner, moved nearer to the subject, smelling
a coppery body odor, possibly resulting from excess perspiration produced by
fear. Urtyne body odors were often disagreeable to her, especially those of males.
These odors, she believed, resulted from consumption of animal flesh and foods
with toxic artificial ingredients, which comprised the primary diets of Urtynes
in the subject’s geographical region. This subject’s odor would improve with
the diet Kaesah would provide.

She examined the subject, taking particular note of light brown
hair curved about her temples and neck. Curiosity made her touch it. The
texture was more silky and fine than that of her own
species.

The subject’s complexion was pale like that of most Urtynes in her
region of the United States. A few tiny specks of a darker pigmentation were
sprinkled across the bridge of her nose and cheeks. Kaesah recalled that these
specks of pigmentation were called freckles, something her species did not
have. The face was square, chin firm, and her nose had a small hump on the
bridge that lent it a slight asymmetrical tilt. Lips were even, the top one
well defined. She opened the mouth to check the teeth. They appeared healthy
with a minor protrusion of the upper central incisors. She lifted the subject’s
right eyelid, noticing the blue iris. Blue eyes were rare among her own species.

Kaesah took the hem of the subject’s sleep garment, folding it up
above her breasts to inspect the body. Her skin tone was much lighter than that
of face and arms, with no freckles.

For an Urtyne female of her regional area and ethnic group, she
was short in stature. However, when compared to an average NaQwin, she was
taller and appeared more robust. This robustness was due in part to her
breasts. With NaQwins, breasts this size would indicate a woman in the latter
stages of pregnancy, or one nursing a child. For an Urtyne female in the United
States, these would be considered unremarkable. Kaesah could not understand the
Urtyne males’ obsession with large breasts.

The subject’s abdomen was flat, hips rounded, legs sturdy and
proportional to the body. Her inspection went to the mons pubis with its patch
of hair. Her own species lacked body hair, except on head, eyebrows, and
eyelashes. She knew most mature Urtyne females had coarse body hair on their
legs and in their armpits, which they often removed. The lack of hair on these
areas indicated she removed it. Kaesah knew it would grow back. This did not
discomfit her as it would do if this subject grew abundant, coarse hair on her
face and torso like males. She folded the sleep garment back down.

Urtynes might find this female attractive. Many NaQwins might find
her attractive. The Urtyne’s physical appearance was not a factor in Kaesah’s
selection.

The subject’s school records indicated an ability to interact with
others in an appropriate manner and a willingness to help. The investigators
did not contact close friends, as this would have caused suspicion. Neighbors
described her as amiable. One elderly neighbor stated how the subject always
brought fresh vegetables from her garden when she visited, and would run
errands.

The mention in the report of a garden had peaked Kaesah’s interest
as she also liked to garden. A shared pastime might smooth the way for amicable
relations.

Intelligence also comprised an important facet in selection. The
subject’s education records ranked her intelligence in the upper five percent
of Urtynes.

Kaesah removed a dermal injector from a tray beside the table and
pressed it to the subject’s neck. The tranquilizer would keep her in a more
rational, calmer state of mind. She detached the metallic dormancy disc from
the subject’s forehead and put it in a mission pouch attached to the belt at
her waist.

Now she would wake the subject.

****

“Antonia Kaye Lorne, wake up.” A dulcet voice and gentle shake of
her right shoulder jolted Toni from unconsciousness. Startled, her eyes popped
open to the view of a domed, white ceiling. She tried to move, but her body
wouldn’t cooperate. “Ahh, I can’t move. Help! Someone help me!”

“Stay calm,” a female voice said.

A brown face moved into sight and peered down at her with dark
eyes topped with arched black eyebrows. Toni cried out, “Who are you? Why can’t
I move?”

The woman spoke in a melodious voice. “I am Kaesah. Do not be
afraid. I will not harm you. Stay calm, I will tell you all.”

Toni’s fear did not fully abate as a new one emerged. “Am I in a
medical facility? Am I paralyzed?”

“No, your physical condition is fine. I used technology to make
you incapable of movement. You will have no harmful side effects.”

“Technology? Is this some kinda secret
government science experiment?” Toni had heard of such things happening in
recent decades, mainly in the Cold War era, but wasn’t aware of any present
ones. Not that the government would announce it.

“No. I require your help to return to my planet. You are my way
home. The future of both our worlds is in jeopardy.”

What the hell is she talking about? You had better stay rational. “What do you mean?”

“I am from a planet thousands of light years away from here. I
must return home to report what I have discovered on your planet.”

Oh, boy, we have a real nutcase here. Don’t panic. “What’s your name again?”

“Kaesah. K-a-e-s-a-h.”

“Ah, Kaesah, tell me what you want.”

“You do not believe me? I am not surprised.” She lifted her head
and spoke words Toni didn’t recognize.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, when unexpectedly the ceiling
and walls faded to reveal the spectacular scene of a jeweled blue and green orb
suspended in the black of space. “Oh my god.” This is
how Earth would appear from space. No way could this be real. This…Kaesah…had
drugged her and this was a hallucination. She shut her eyes, afraid to open
them.

Kaesah spoke in that unfamiliar language, then said in perfectly
pronounced English, “You may open your eyes.”

Toni opened her eyes to see the high, domed ceiling. Unable to
move her head, she cut her eyes to the side to see white walls with lights that
seemed to blink and pulsate from below the surface.

Her mind ticked off possibilities of where she might be. One: This
was a dream. Two: This room was part of an elaborate hoax. That would explain
the scene of Earth suspended in space. It had to be a movie projection. But why
would someone go to the expense in setting this up? The image had seemed to be
real—three-dimensional. That led her to a third possibility, a crazy one. Or
was it? “We’re on a spacecraft of some sort, aren’t we?”

“Cy. Yes. You are on a starship, in
the infirmary. We are in orbit above Urtye—Earth. The projection was a
three-dimensional transmission by the ship’s sensors of the outside.”

“This isn’t real,” Toni mumbled to herself. She remembered the
sensation of floating and a bright light. Her thoughts were flooded with those
stories of UFO abductions she had seen on TV that described similar incidences.
She had doubted that they were all true. Now her doubts were speedily eroding
away. “You kidnapped me, like those little gray aliens are supposed to do.
That’s why I had the sensation of floating, of being unable to wake up from a
bad dream.”

“The gray aliens are the Phlurx. You call them Grays. The Phlurx
abduct their subjects for research and experimentation. My people do not abduct
or harm the subjects we study.”

Don’t panic. You’re not a subject. Don’t panic. Toni managed to keep her wits
intact. “You abducted me.”

“Circumstances necessitated it.” Kaesah sounded bitter.

Toni scrutinized the supposed alien for a moment, seeing black
eyes fixed on her in what seemed to be distaste. Her best course of action was
not to antagonize this person. Still, she needed questions answered. “You say
you’re from another planet, but you look human.”

“My people are called NaQwins. Our home solar system is located in
a region of what you call the constellation Sagittarius.”

“Why are you here? Why am I the one you abducted?”

“If you promise not to do violence to my person, I will release
you from the paralysis and explain.”

“I won’t hurt you if you promise not to dissect me or do violence
to my person.”

Kaesah’s features hardened, voice terse. “You insult me, Urtyne.
Our ways are not your ways or the ways of the Phlurx.”

“I’m sorry.” Don’t piss her off.

With a slight nod, and relaxing of her features, Kaesah reached for
something at her waist, and then lifted her hand so Toni could see the
palm-size, green oval object she held. “This will reverse your paralysis. You
will experience a tingling sensation, no pain.”

Kaesah lowered the object to around six inches from Toni and ran
it down the length of her body. A prickly sensation filled her arms and legs.

“You should be able to move. However, you should do it gradually
until you have regained full sensation in your limbs.”

With cautious movements of her limbs, the tingles subsided. She
pushed up to sit on the table’s edge and then slid off it to stand on rubbery
legs. After straightening to her full five-foot-three inches, she tugged down
the nightshirt that had ridden up to her thighs. Kaesah backed from her. They
studied each other for a drawn out moment.

Toni noticed Kaesah’s slim build beneath the yellow jumpsuit she
wore and guessed her height was near five-foot. With her black eyes, brown
skin, black hair in a braid, she favored many immigrants from India who lived
in the Atlanta area. She looked to be in her mid-to-late-twenties.

Peering around the room, Toni noticed one other examination table.
There were no scary contraptions or instruments to indicate they did
vivisections or other horrid experiments. Then again, they might be hidden as
not to frighten the human laboratory animals.

This was unreal, a bad, bizarre nightmare. She directed her
attention back to Kaesah, rubbed clammy palms down the sides of her nightshirt,
cleared her throat, and smiled nervously. With a deep inhale, she held out her
unsteady right hand for a shake. “Hi, my name’s Antonia Lorne. Welcome to
Earth.”

****

Aversion was Kaesah’s first reaction to the offered hand. She did
not want to touch this Urtyne any more than necessary. Then reason asserted
itself. Necessity dictated she accustom herself to interacting with the Urtyne
on many levels. Physical contact was a required component of Deep Merge and she
needed to adapt.

Kaesah lightly clasped the offered hand, detecting a mild tremble
indicative of anxiety. Blue eyes stared into hers that both fascinated and
disturbed. She modulated her voice to one of friendliness. “I am Rije Vos Zun
Briel Kaesah, Associate Geneticist, Navigator, and Trynt…what you would call
‘leader’ of the research ship, Ygala Beice—Flowering Star. Welcome
aboard my ship, Antonia Kaye Lorne.”

“Ah…your ship has a pretty name.” They unclasped hands, their eyes
remaining in contact for a second.

“Thank you, Antonia Kaye Lorne.” Kaesah tried to put the woman at
ease, though she herself was apprehensive.

“Call me Toni.” Toni’s smile looked forced.

“As you wish, Toni. If you will accompany me, we
will go to the omni-center where you can learn from the omni-unit, or what you
call a computer, what connection my planet has to yours, why both are in
jeopardy, and why I must return to my home world.”

Toni followed her out of the infirmary, across the corridor, and
into an elevator. Kaesah ordered the elevator to the main deck. After a couple
of seconds, the elevator stopped. Kaesah exited and strode at a brisk pace down
a corridor, but Toni lagged behind as she peered into doorways. Kaesah waited
until Toni caught up to her. “Walk beside me.”

“Sorry. I haven’t been on a starship before.” Toni fell in step
with Kaesah.

“You might be the first of your species to do so, unless a member
of your species came aboard one of our ships five thousand years ago.”

Toni stopped abruptly, surprise in her expression and voice. “Five
thousand years? You’ve been here five thousand years? How old are you?”

“Our last contact with
Urtye—Earth, occurred five thousand years ago. I have been on your planet for
almost two years. In your years, I am approximately fifty-two. A NaQwin’s life
span is around two hundred years.”

She went through a doorway and into the room that contained the
ship’s omni-unit, Toni beside her. “We are in the omni-center where the ship’s
omni-unit is located.” Kaesah ordered in NaQwin, “Omni-unit, display data and a
view of Urtye.” Walls faded as a three-dimensional display appeared of Earth,
space, the moon, and areas that scrolled data. From the deck rose two tan
recliners.

Toni’s mouth fell open, eyes widening, her sudden intake of breath
audible. She glanced around. “Where’s this omni-unit?”

“Built into this room’s wall.”

“It’s some kind of super computer, isn’t it?”

“It is more advanced than your computers. This computer is
partially composed of bio-matter to facilitate a link with your brain and
communicate to your learning center, allowing faster assimilation of
information. This method taught me English in three weeks. With measured
acclimation, this omni-unit can teach you my language in a short time. Perhaps
in two months.”

“Your species’ brains are probably a lot different than human
brains.”

“Our brains are similar in structure.” Kaesah moved to one of the
recliners. “Here, take this chair. I will adjust the omni-unit to an acceptable
level so that you can quickly learn why both our species are in danger.” A
noticeable tensing of Toni’s body, her expression morphing from curiosity to
apprehension, let Kaesah know she was reluctant. “Toni, I understand why you
have doubts. Come. Let us go to the arboretum. There, I will tell you why I am
here, what connection my people have to this planet and the importance of why I
must return to my world.”

Kaesah led Toni down a corridor until they reached the end and
entered an enormous arboretum. “Here is the living area.”

“Wow. How wonderful and beautiful.”

Kaesah observed Toni survey the varied flora from her home world,
its predominant blue colors different from Urtye’s hues of green. Toni gaped up
to tops of lofty trees that stretched to the domed ceiling. The wonder her face
expressed sparked satisfaction in Kaesah. She loved this place and it pleased
her that Toni found it beautiful.

Her thoughts turned to Atimki, remembering how she also had loved
this place. Here is where the two of them had meditated, played, and made love.
Then like an ominous black cloud, resentment tinged her thoughts. Resentment that an alien, a savage, would now share this place with
her.

Will you try? For me? Atimki’s words whispered in her
memory. With force, she shoved her bitterness away. She would try to make Toni
feel welcome, and recalled the time-honored way among NaQwins, and Urtynes, to
do that. “Let us share a meal and I will tell you why you are here.”

****

The information this alien woman, Kaesah, had imparted left Toni
dazed. She got her cup of blue colored tea from off the table and sipped the
now tepid contents. While trying to get comfortable on the cushion she sat on,
she uncrossed her right leg from over the left and then crossed her left leg
over the right.

“Do you want more tea? Or more soup?” Kaesah inquired.

“No thanks. I’m fine. The soup was good. It tasted like tomato
soup.” There were no spoons so she had to sip the soup from a bowl. She glanced
at a fingerbowl to her left. Another was to Kaesah’s left. Toni had never used
one and had followed Kaesah’s example of dipping fingers in the water and
drying them with a napkin before she began eating.

Kaesah’s smile was wide, causing a dimple on each cheek to erupt.
“Tomatoes are the main ingredient of the soup. I have plants that I purchased
on Urtye in my garden.”

Toni thought she could use this information to her advantage in
encouraging the alien to feel friendly toward her. “Garden?
I have a garden. Do you like to grow things?”

“I do. Gardening is my hobby. Hobby is an English word used to
describe an activity you enjoy doing on a regular basis that brings you
satisfaction.”

“Yes. It’s a hobby I enjoy too.”

“Then it shall be my pleasure to show you my garden.”

Toni lifted her eyes to the nearby sparkly pool with its silvery
waterfall cascading down a broad, rocky column roughly ten feet high. Delicate
water lilies with lavender blooms floated on the pool. Beneath the clear water
swam fish in colors of blue, red, and purple.

Her sight wandered to alien trees and greenery. Greenery wasn’t
the precise term she would use. Only some plants were in hues of green. Most
were in shades of blue, ivory, lilac, and gray. The flowers looked akin to
lilies, irises, and orchids, in similar colors, except that most had stalks and
leaves in assorted shades of blue. She wondered if blue was the primary color
of plants on Kaesah’s world. That would probably account for the tea’s bluish
tint.

With a sniff, she inhaled fragrances of different plants, the
smell reminiscent of the North Georgia mountains she
sometimes hiked in on spring days. The diffused light had no point of origin as
far as she could tell, but its intensity was that of sunlight on a spring
morning.

Surreal
was the one word Toni would use to describe what was happening to her. This was
Twilight Zone surreal and absurd. Here she was aboard an UFO, dressed in
the rattiest nightshirt she owned, and drinking blue tea with an alien who
claimed to be a member of an all-female species from the other side of the
Milky Way.

She wiggled anxiously, caught her bottom lip between her teeth,
and studied the supposed alien woman. “What you’ve told me…well, I don’t think
you would kidnap me just to tell me lies, but it’s all hard to believe.”

“I understand why you would have doubts.”

“I believe you about these Phlurx being on Earth and that the
United States is providing them with hidden underground bases in desert regions
in exchange for technology. There have been enough stories about encounters
with UFOs and aliens to back that up. Even though things are looking up in
America for us gays—er—homosexuals, I can see the crazies trying to get elected
and eliminating homosexuality. We already have crazies in Washington.” You’re
babbling, Toni. “You said one important reason colonists from your planet
might come to Earth is to prevent a possible genocide of homosexuals, mainly us
lesbians, because we might help find a cure for a disease your people have.”

“Drozt. It is a virus. We do not know
how it is transmitted, or why some are infected and others are not.”

“If your people come here, won’t they infect us humans, mainly
those lesbians, like me, who carry your genes?”

“The disease is limited to my species. The scant records from our
colonization of your planet thirteen thousand years ago document no occurrences
of infections in Urtynes—humans. An expedition sent here five thousand years
ago found no indication of this disease in humans or in those who carried our
genes as dominant. Today, various disease control centers on Urtye show no
evidence of this virus.”

“That’s a relief. I guess we humans are pretty hardy stock.”

“It is a theory by many of our geneticists that the addition to
our populace of genes from your species’ females with genetics for
homosexuality, like you possess, could result over time in the elimination of
drozt.”

Like you possess. A surge of fear shot through
Toni. She jumped to her feet, blurting out shrilly, “You chose me to be a test
subject, didn’t you! You’re gonna impregnate me and do horrid experiments on me
and the baby I’ll have!”

Kaesah shot to her feet, face darkening, and mouth in a snarl.
“Unlike your species, my species would never harm a child, or you. I chose you
to assist me in piloting this ship to my home so I can inform my government of
events that could have disastrous results for the survival of both our
species.”

“Why should I believe you?” Toni hugged herself, feeling cold and
drained as her control started to slip.

“I have no intent to ‘experiment’ on you. We NaQwins are not the
Phlurx. If we were, I would secure you to an examination table and harvest your
ova. Or impregnate you, suppress your memory, and return you to your bed. Two
months later, I would retrieve you to remove the embryo.” Kaesah slowly shook
her head, her expression appearing sad. “You would not know your daughter, or
that she existed.”

A strong shiver darted down Toni’s spine when she remembered
similar stories of alien abductions on an episode of a TV series about UFOs. It
had creeped her out more than the cattle mutilation episode.

Toni stared Kaesah straight in the eyes. “You said you want me to
help get you home. I know nothing about a starship. Sorry, but I can’t help
you. So, take me home.”

“I will not.”

Toni was about to argue, but an urgent pressure in her bladder
stopped her. “Uh…I’ve got to tinkle real bad.” She
fidgeted and shifted from foot to foot. “Now!”

“Tinkle?” Kaesah knitted her brow.

“Pee, urinate, eliminate from my bladder in liquid form toxins my
kidneys filter out of my body. You do that, don’t you? You do have a bathroom,
don’t you?”

Kaesah’s lips twitched in obvious amusement, making Toni peeved
that she found humor in her predicament. She was just about to say she would
have to step behind a tree and water it, when Kaesah said, “There are four
ablution facilities on this ship that contain apparatus for elimination of
waste. Come. I will take you to the one nearest.”

Toni followed her down a path in the arboretum and through an
entryway to a well-lit room with ice-blue walls.

“Sit over a hole on the elimination unit.” Kaesah motioned with
her hand toward the spot. “Cleaning cloths are in a recess between holes.”

Toni focused on the indicated area and saw a rectangular structure
protruding from the wall with two oval holes on top. A
two-holer, like in an outhouse. She hurried to it, turned to sit,
and started to tug up her nightshirt when she noticed Kaesah observing her from
the entryway. Toni frowned. “Do you mind not staring while I do this?”

Kaesah left Toni to do her business. A glance around the room
showed her an oval sink with a square mirror above it, an oblong hood by the
faucet. In front of the back wall stood a partition she thought was a shower.
She finished, retrieved a green fabric square from the recess, and cleaned
herself.

Fatigue washed through her, forcing her eyes closed. She wanted to
go home. Wanted to wake up in her bed and have this be a dream. The breaking
point of her emotions pressed hard upon what control remained. She stood and
heard a hum from the toilet, then turned to see a greenish glow within the hole’s recess. She stared, unable to move as her mind shut
down from shock, shivers seizing her.

A firm but gentle hand rested on her shoulder and a calm voice
said, “Let me help you.” Kaesah directed Toni to the sink and instructed,
“Stick your hands under the hood so they can be cleaned.”

Toni numbly stood there, unable to comprehend what Kaesah said.
She couldn’t think past the blank wall that blocked her mind. Kaesah held
Toni’s hands under the oblong hood, which triggered a blue light that
surrounded them. She felt a faint tickling sensation in her fingers.

Kaesah removed Toni’s hands from under the hood. “Come with me.
You require rest.” She held Toni by the elbow as she guided her out the room
and down a path to another room. Toni was too tired to protest when Kaesah led
her to a plush mat and then with a firm push had her kneel beside it. Kaesah
nudged her onto the mat and slipped a pillow under her head.

“Co…Cold,” came out through Toni’s clattering teeth.

Kaesah reached down to the bottom of the mat, drew a blanket up to
Toni’s chin, tucking it about her shoulders. She rummaged in a pouch at her
waist, took out a quarter-sized disc, and laid it on Toni’s forehead.

“Sleep.” Kaesah’s voice was quiet. “I
will stay here with you.”

Toni sank into sleep.

Chapter Four

The sedative’s rate of dissipation was faster than Kaesah had
expected. Even with the drug, Toni fluctuated between periods of composure,
panic, and shock. Perhaps the amount had been insufficient. Kaesah could not
give her another dose as the sedative needed to be out of Toni’s system so she
could administer the enzyme.

Shifting her position where she sat, she studied the quiescent
woman for a moment before detaching the dormancy disc from Toni’s forehead,
knowing she would continue to sleep for several hours.

How would Toni react when Kaesah informed her of Deep Merge and
the vital role she would perform? Toni already displayed an aversion to having
her mind linked to the omni-unit. She had no doubt linking to the Myr would be
so foreign from what Toni knew existed that it would horrify her.

Then there was Merge, the link to Kaesah’s
mind. Would Toni regard Merge in the same way, as
horrific and repulsive? Kaesah, herself, felt distaste when she thought of
Merge with this Urtyne. Merge was an honored privilege, participated in by a
select few. Just those who piloted starships joined in Merge. Most NaQwins went
about daily life much as these Urtynes did. The main difference being NaQwins
were female.

Thirty thousand years ago, it was discovered that Asun females who
were genetic homosexuals had the ability to link with Myrs and Merge minds.
This ability incited jealousy from Asun males and heterosexual females.
Persecution forced homosexual females to leave their Asun home world to find a
new home. Genetic changes over the millennia had forged them into a new
species.

Selected Prime Geneticists who held the honored title of Priestess
insured their species would continue by performing fusion of genes from one
ovum to another ovum, usually from a mated pair who wanted children. The
facilities where tul-lek, or ova fusions, took place were deemed temples, the
monuments to their existence. To be a member of the Genetics College was an
honor.

Kaesah had always wanted to be a geneticist. Yet, she had also
desired to travel among the stars to see new and wonderful worlds. She
remembered her excitement when selected to train as a geneticist, the pride in
her mothers’ eyes. That had been a great honor. However, nothing compared to
the honor Destiny bequeathed her when she had been selected to Deep Merge and
navigate the galaxy on one of the college’s twelve starships. This
accomplishment was usually granted to those who had attained the rank of First
Rank Geneticist. Kaesah was the first Associate Geneticist to achieve this
honor, also the youngest in her college’s history.

She recalled the excited anticipation of meeting her Anchor. How
she had wondered who out of the college’s five thousand active members it would
be. When informed it was First Rank Geneticist Atimki, she was elated. Atimki
was a stellar member of the college and admired by her peers and those in both
the upper and lower ranked classes. They had never met socially, nor shared
lessons.

Since Atimki was older than Kaesah and a First Rank Geneticist,
she would be Trynt when they were on assignments. Kaesah knew the pair bonders,
specialists who paired those who would Merge, matched
their psychological profiles. She knew they would be content with each other.

Kaesah had been enthralled when first introduced to Atimki, and
had fallen in love with her within a few hours after their introduction. The
year of their hifinsu, the period of familiarizing with each other before Deep
Merge, had bonded them. However, it did not compare to what they shared in
Merge, the sharing of each other’s soul when they touched. Their lovemaking was
indescribable, the ability to experience what the other did and felt. You
became one.

When drozt had made Atimki unable to Merge
and share emotions with Kaesah, their lovemaking did not immerse them in
sensations and emotions. Yet she could endure that because Atimki still
remained a part of her through their love. When Atimki died, it had torn a
black hole in Kaesah’s soul that sucked the light out of her life.

Now, as she looked at this Urtyne, antipathy swelled. Atimki was
right when she called her a xenophobe. She believed these Urtynes savage,
selfish, and inferior. The majority had no respect for their planet. They
destroyed its many life forms and ecosystems with no thought of their planet’s
future, or the future of their children. Her antipathy must be surmounted so
Merge did not become a torment. No stories existed of Merged
pairs who ever disliked one another. She did not want to be the first. It would
be a stain on her honor.

If Toni refused Deep Merge? What options did she have then? She
could force it on Toni, force a link with the Myr and Merge with Kaesah. No.
That was abhorrent. Those actions would amount to physical and mental
violations. Yet, what if forcing Toni was the sole method to reach her home
with the vital information on the Phlurx threat? She would have to wait and
see.

****

A damp, sweet smell drew her from slumber. She opened sleep heavy
eyes to see a steamy cup of blue liquid in front of her face, which then
vanished from sight.

“Morning greetings, Toni,” said that melodious voice she had heard
in the bizarre dream she had experienced last night. “I have prepared you tea.”

Toni startled, and rapidly pushed upright, when she realized the
voice didn’t come from a dream. She wrestled down panic by assuring herself if
this woman meant to harm her, she would probably have woken up in a locked cell
or strapped to an examination table.

Surveying the room, she noticed pale blue walls that seemed to
have a faint glow right beneath the surface. A blue dresser with three drawers
was against the wall across from her. Next to the dresser was a shelf holding
folded clothes.

With a resigned sigh, Toni rubbed a hand across her face and then
directed her attention back to Kaesah. “I take it this isn’t a dream. I’m
really on a UFO and you’re really from another planet?”

“No, this is not a dream.” Kaesah handed her the cup.

Toni sniffed the contents before taking a hesitant sip, tasting a
mild sweetness with a subtle tang. “How long did I sleep?”

Kaesah tapped a gold bracelet she wore on her left wrist. Immediately
a small projection of symbols hovered above her wrist. “Nine hours. I am sure
you are hungry. I shall prepare a meal for you after you complete ablutions.”

Toni noticed Kaesah didn’t wear the yellow jumpsuit she had seen
her in last night. Instead, she wore a jade green blouse, a yellow sash around
her waist, and gray harem pants tucked at the bottoms inside black mid-shin
sock-shoes. For the first time, Toni studied Kaesah’s features, finding her
attractive with rich brown complexion, heart-shaped face, narrow nose with a
slight upward tilt at the tip, and bow-shaped lips. Her eyes were her most
striking feature with irises so dark as to appear black. Her thick, black hair
fell a good foot past her shoulders. A single strand of green beads circled her
head at brow level. She looked like she stepped out of A Thousand and One
Arabian Nights.

Toni focused back on the dark eyes, her voice firm. “Take me
home.”

“I will not.”

Toni thinned her lips and hardened her stare, gaining satisfaction
when Kaesah glanced away and then hurriedly stood.

“Come. We will go to the ablution room.” Kaesah grabbed a stack of
folded clothes and a pair of sock-shoes from the shelf.

Toni accompanied her down the arboretum path and into the ablution
room. Kaesah went to where the glass partition was located, Toni right behind
her. They stopped at the entrance to a stall.

“This is the ablution unit,” Kaesah said. “It uses a combination
of ultraviolet light to eradicate microorganisms and ultrasonic waves to remove
dead skin and dirt. You will feel a mild tingling sensation.”

“How long do I stay in it?” Toni was used to taking a leisurely
wet shower at home, but somehow knew that wouldn’t apply here and would
probably be dangerous.

“The unit has been programed to the time you will require. These
are the garments you will wear.” Kaesah put the folded clothes and sock-shoes
on a ledge by the ablution unit. “They are not your size, though I think you
will not be uncomfortable. I have not included an undergarment as it would be
too small for you.” She held up a spray bottle she got from the ledge and
instructed, “When cleansing is complete, spray this on your body. It will
prevent excess perspiration and control odor.”

Toni inwardly cringed, feeling grungy and knew she smelled, hoping
Kaesah didn’t get a whiff.

Kaesah placed the deodorant back on the ledge and then ran her
eyes down Toni’s body in a dispassionate way. “Remove your garment and enter
the unit.”

Heat rushed through Toni. “Ah…Kaesah, a lot of us humans don’t
like to display our unclothed bodies in front of others.”

Kaesah blinked as if surprised. “Forgive. I forgot your culture’s
taboo as it relates to nudity.” Kaesah made a speedy retreat.

Taboo? For a second, Toni pondered
Kaesah’s statement. Nudity mustn’t be a big deal to Kaesah. Geez, I hope she
doesn’t start to run ‘round ‘nekkid’.

She stripped off her nightshirt, then
stepped into the stall, triggering a bluish light that flooded over her body.
Her skin and scalp tingled. After a couple of minutes, the light disappeared.
She sprayed the deodorant on her body then pulled on black harem pants. They
fit snug on her hips, but didn’t bind, and fell an inch above her ankles. She
shimmied into a short-sleeved, pink top, its length right above mid-thigh. It
fit a tad tight across her chest but wasn’t uncomfortable. Sitting on the
elimination unit, she pulled on the black sock-shoes, their tubular structure
stretched to fit.

She grabbed her nightshirt and went to where Kaesah stood outside
the room. “There, all done.”

Kaesah’s obvious inspection of Toni prompted her to say, “These
clothes aren’t too bad of a fit, seeing I’m bigger than you are.”

“They belonged to another. She was nearer to you in size. They are
now yours as are her other garments.”

Toni felt discomfort, thinking she knew who had owned these
clothes. “They belonged to the person who helped you fly this ship, didn’t
they?” Kaesah had informed Toni that the other person needed to pilot the ship
had died.

A shadow of pain fell across Kaesah’s features. “Yes. Atimki was her
name.” Her expression became neutral. “Give me your garment.”

Toni handed Kaesah her nightshirt and watched her press a symbol
on the wall, then toss the shirt in an opening that appeared. Kaesah faced
Toni. “We will go back in the ablution room where I will show you how to clean
your teeth. You may also comb your hair.”

They went back into the room and to the sink. Toni noticed an
oblong hood next to the faucet, and had a vague recollection of sticking her
hands under it last night.

Toni pointed at the hood. “That device cleans hands, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. The hand cleanser is a compact version of the ultrasonic
shower.”

Kaesah tapped the mirror’s edge, and it slid open to reveal
shelves containing various grooming items, bottles, and containers. She took out
a white bottle, poured a small amount of liquid into a blue tumbler, and handed
it to Toni. “Rinse your mouth with this for thirty seconds. It will clean your
teeth and prevent decay.”

Toni sniffed the contents, detecting no odor. Cautiously, she
tasted it, liking the clove flavor. Taking the liquid into her mouth, she
swished it around. Silently, she counted seconds by the old one Mississippi,
two Mississippi method, until she hit thirty. She spat
the liquid into the sink, jumping when water automatically discharged from the
rim to clean the bowl. Kaesah handed her a cloth wipe from a rectangular
container attached to the wall. Toni wiped her mouth, and when finished, Kaesah
disposed of the cloth in a toilet hole, which triggered a green light.

“That light disintegrates waste, doesn’t it?” Toni asked.

“Yes.”

“If I put my hand in the toilet hole, will it be disintegrated?”

Kaesah stared at her with a slight widening of her eyes. Toni
thought the woman must wonder why she’d even think of such a thing.

“No. It will not work on living tissue, except for microbes. It
also will not disintegrate a bottle or hairbrush dropped into the hole as these
are made from special materials.”

Kaesah handed her a hairbrush. Surveying her reflection in the
mirror, Toni noticed her tangled curls. “Geez. My
hair’s a mess. It looks like rats have nested in it.”

“Rats?” Kaesah blurted out. “Those small mammalian creatures of
your world you call vermin, or laboratory animals when domesticated?”

“Those are the ones.”

“Do they infest your species’ hair for nesting purposes?” A note
of alarm sounded in Kaesah’s voice.

Toni couldn’t suppress her snicker. “Nope.
It’s a saying one uses when their hair is messy.” With a devilish grin, she
added, “Sometimes birds will build a nest in your hair.”

Kaesah’s features showed doubt and then amusement. “You possess
humor.”

“I do have my moments.” Toni paused in her brushing to ask, “How
about you, Kaesah? Do you have a sense of humor?”

The corners of Kaesah’s mouth quirked up in a half-smile. “I have
my moments.”

Chapter Five

Toni peered through the clear front of a refrigerator-sized stasis
container, taking note of a variety of fruits and vegetables. At least she
thought the items were fruits and vegetables as many looked similar to what
she’d find in her grocery’s produce section.

The galley was in an alcove located in the arboretum and contained
two of these stasis containers Kaesah said could keep food fresh for up to a
year. This galley was similar in many ways to an ordinary American kitchen. It
had a sink, a compact induction heat unit, induction oven, but had a sonic
dishwasher.

A chime sounded, drawing Toni’s attention to a wall where an
induction oven was installed. Kaesah took two bowls from the oven, placing them
on a shelf. “Toni, would you carry the tray with the bread, plates, and
fingerbowls to the table? I will bring out the meal.”

“Sure.” Toni went to the table, putting two oblong ceramic plates
on it with fingerbowls and napkins beside them. She put the tray on the deck
and then took the spot she sat in last night.

Kaesah came to the table, unloaded the tray, placing a tumbler by
each plate, laid the tray on top of the other one, then sat across the table
from Toni. She regarded Toni. “Let me serve you. I will explain to you what
each food item is.”

Toni saw a grain dish, flatbread, lavender peas, pale blue items
curled like pigtails, and a bowl of various cut up vegetables and fruits.

Kaesah dipped her fingers in the fingerbowl and wiped them dry
with a napkin, then took Toni’s plate. She picked up a serving spoon made from
ceramic, and scooped up lavender peas. “Jossu, a legume with
a mild flavor.” She next spooned up three pigtails. “Qusil.
Its flavor is spicy.” Next, a spoonful of grain was plopped on the plate.
“Brizil, a staple grain of my planet served with most meals. Its taste is
similar to rice.” She handed the plate to Toni, and then pointed out two small
cylindrical bottles on the table. “The white bottle contains sea salt from my planet.
The green one contains a mixture of spices.”

Toni watched Kaesah, waiting to see if there were any etiquette
rules she should follow. Kaesah used the fingers of her right hand to scoop up
a bit of brizil and her thumb to push it into her mouth, making it seem
efficient and easy.

Copying Kaesah’s actions, Toni dipped her fingers in the
fingerbowl, dried them, and scooped up a pinch of jossu, spilling some before
she got it to her mouth.

The jossu was tasty, reminding her of boiled green peanuts when
she sprinkled on salt. The brizil did have a rice flavor, but she didn’t like
the pigtails. They were crunchy, with a bitter, hot tang. She washed the taste
out of her mouth with a swig of the fruity flavored beverage.

By this meal, and foods she had seen in the stasis container, she
wondered if NaQwins were vegetarians.

Toni saw the graceful way Kaesah used her fingers to scoop up the
last bits of her food. She didn’t drop a grain of brizil. Nor were there bits
of food surrounding Kaesah’s plate, unlike Toni’s plate with jossu scattered
around it.

Kaesah gazed at Toni. “Would you like more drink?”

“No, thanks. I’m fine. It was good.”

“It pleases me you find the food palatable.”

“Er…are NaQwins vegetarian?”

“Our basic diet is vegetarian. We do not consume the flesh of
mammals or fowl, nor do we eat eggs or drink milk. We do consume fish and
shellfish.”

“Oh.” In a couple of days, Toni knew she would crave a juicy
cheeseburger with a side of fries and a chocolate milkshake. Chalk up a major
reason she needed to get out of this situation.

Kaesah must have seen her disappointment. “Urtyne diets are not
healthy. You infuse your meat animals with hormones and antibiotics. Your
processed foods contain dangerous artificial ingredients. The diet I will
provide for you will have the required nutrients to maintain a healthy body.”

Toni fought the urge to roll her eyes and say, Yes, mother.
“I’m sure it will, especially with fish to eat. I like fish baked, fried, and
broiled. I don’t do sashimi.”

“The stock of fish was consumed months ago.”

What rotten luck. No meat, no fish, no cheese, no eggs. “Well, as you say, your diet
will be better for me.” Not that she planned to stick around and reap the
benefits of healthier eating. Toni tore off a piece of flatbread, wishing she
had butter to go on it. The taste wasn’t bad, just bland without a spread.
Maybe Kaesah’s species had different taste buds than humans. She remembered
Kaesah called humans a word sounding like Erdines. “What’s this name you call
my planet? Erdie? And us humans?
Erdines?”

“Urtye, u-r -t-y-e is what we call Earth. Urtynes are what we call
your species. Urtye is an ancient Asun word. We think it means faraway star,
because Urtye is on the other side of the galaxy from where the Asuns’ home
world was located.”

“Assassins?” They sounded ominous to Toni.

“Asun. A-s-u-n.
They seeded your primitive ancestors with their genetic material two hundred
thousand years ago. The evolutionary advancement of many species is from them
seeding their genes throughout the galaxy.”

“Where are they now?” Toni hoped none of them still lurked on
Earth doing their seeding thing.

“They migrated to another galaxy twenty thousand years ago because
their sun was going nova. If they had not instilled their genes into your
genetic code, you would still be using primitive stone tools. Both our species
are related to the Asun and that makes us distant relatives. You are closer in
kinship to me since you carry NaQwin genes.”

“I guess, in a way, it does make us cousins. What happened to your
colonists who settled here thousands of years ago? I know Earth’s gold supply
didn’t run out.” Kaesah had informed her that the main reason for establishing
a colony on Earth was for mining gold, which was scarce in NaQwi’s sector of
space.

“Soon after Qwithos…our colony, was established, this sector was
invaded by the Buliisa, a species from another galaxy. Travel to Urtye was too
perilous. The Buliisa also attempted to invade our sector of the galaxy. We
formed a coalition with four other species and drove out the Buliisa six
thousand years ago. An expedition to Urtye five thousand years ago surmised
from remaining evidence that Qwithos fought off Buliisa attacks for almost a
thousand years. The Buliisa finally destroyed it. The surviving descendants of
the colonists were absorbed into your planet’s many cultures. The technology to
perform ovum-to-ovum fertilization, our method of reproduction, was lost, and
those who wanted children were able to mate with your males since the
descendants were genetically more human due to the unavailability of new
colonists from NaQwi. Over time, these descendants forgot their NaQwin
ancestry.”

“Where was this colony located?”

“Qwithos was located on coastland in the northwestern part of
India. Rising sea levels covered the remains over many centuries. Two offshoot
colonies that were located in North Africa were also destroyed by the Buliisa.”

Conversation lulled. A million questions ran through Toni’s mind
so fast she couldn’t seem to focus on one. Concentrate, Toni. “I don’t
know anything about a starship. There are probably thousands of lesbian pilots
on Earth who can help you. Why me?”

“Based on age, health, other factors, and that you carry some of
our genes as dominant, you are my best choice.”

“Oh, lucky me,” Toni said facetiously. “I’m sure the runners-up
would be just as qualified. I’m not doing this.”

“I would prefer you do this willingly.”

“If I don’t, you’ll force me, won’t you?” She glared at Kaesah,
seeing her eyes drop in what Toni hoped was shame.

Kaesah then fixed her eyes on Toni’s. They appeared obsidian. “Cy.”

Toni knew ‘cy’ was a definite ‘yes’. Images invaded her thoughts
of being strapped into a chair in the omni-center with her head hooked to the
computer as it scrambled her brain until she became a zombie. No, Toni.
Don’t you dare panic. Find a way out.

Maybe she could barter her way home. It wouldn’t hurt to try. If
successful, she wouldn’t get exactly what she wanted, but it sure would beat
being a zombie slave. “I’ll make a deal with you. If I help you get home,
you’ll bring me back to Earth.” Toni saw uncertainty in Kaesah’s eyes. “Those
are my terms. Take ‘em, or leave ‘em.” She hoped she sounded convincing. She
didn’t have what one would term a poker face. Kaesah held the winning cards.

“The decision to return you home will not be mine to make. The
Supreme Council will have to decide.”

“What’s this Supreme Council?”

“The premier authority on NaQwi and consists of seven members
elected by citizens of the seven inhabited worlds in our solar system to represent
us. They serve for life.”

“If I do this, you’ll have to convince them we made a deal and
bringing me back to Earth is my payment.” Kaesah still looked indecisive to
Toni. “It’s that simple, so, what’s the problem?”

“Your disappearance and reappearance would be questioned by your
local authorities. Those clandestine branches of Urtye’s government
collaborating with the Phlurx would obtain reports from these authorities. Your
government would question you and learn of the presence of our genes in some of
your populace.”

“Listen, I’m aware of what’s at stake here. I know if my
government got wind of this, they would question me, and I’d be locked away
somewhere. I’ll keep my mouth shut.” Toni wouldn’t breathe a word about this,
not even to friends. “And I sure as hell don’t want the Phlurx messing with me.
We’ll come up with some story that I had amnesia to explain my disappearance.”

Kaesah hesitated, and then appeared to have come to a decision. “I
will inform the Supreme Council that the assistance you provide is a matter of
honor. I will try to persuade them to grant this request. I cannot make
guarantees.”

“Promise me that you’ll help.”

Kaesah’s features and voice reflected seriousness. “I swear, on my
honor. Void swallow my soul if I break my oath to you.”

This oath sounded sincere to Toni. “Now, tell me what I’ll need to
do? Do you have instructions written in English that’s not too technical? Or is
this on the job training as a pilot, or whatever?”

“You need only NaQwin genes. Your designation will be what in
English is called anchor, not pilot.”

“Anchor? What do I do? Jump out this
ship and tie it to an asteroid?”

Kaesah’s laugh sent a delicious tingle down Toni’s spine. “No
jumps out of Flowering Star are required.”

Toni was missing something here. Then it hit her. “Explain to me
why your genetics are needed to help pilot this ship.”

Kaesah cleaned her hands, stood and looked down at Toni. “Come. We
will go to the bridge. There I will show you the stellar drive and explain how
it operates, and what is required from you.”

****

As Toni accompanied Kaesah down a corridor, she detected a change
in atmosphere. The surrounding air seemed charged—alive, as if a storm
approached and made her body thrum faintly to a deep bass rhythm almost below
the threshold of her hearing. They entered a round room Toni estimated to be
forty-feet in diameter. She lifted her eyes to a domed ceiling.

The room was empty except for a round, silver object that appeared
to have a diameter of around six feet positioned in the middle of the deck.
When they pulled up even with it, Toni noticed the object was not fully round,
but a half circle open in front with a blue-cushioned seat roomy enough to
accommodate two people. There were raised symbols, or script, on each side,
right below the armrests.

“I am about to show you the stellar drive,” Kaesah said. “You have
nothing to fear.”

The word ‘fear’, no matter if used with the word ‘nothing’, had
Toni on alert. She had a creepy feeling about this. “Might as well get this
over with,” Toni mumbled. “Show me this stellar drive.”

She braced herself when Kaesah spoke in her language and the room
darkened. Goose bumps skittered along the back of her neck and shoulders as the
walls, ceiling, and deck became transparent. A moment of disorientation made
her suck in her breath. She imagined being inside one of those plasma lightning
globes sold at that offbeat store in Atlanta where they had black light posters
and strobe lights. Except the bolts of electrical charge
didn’t dance in the gas of a lightning globe. They zigzagged within a
slow swirling amber liquid and changed colors from blue, rose, yellow, and neon
green. “Th…this is the stellar drive?”

“Yes. The Myr. We are inside it.”

Once again, Toni gaped at the light display. “Is it a machine, or
some sorta energy?”

Kaesah sat in the chair. “Come, sit by me and I will explain.”

The colorful lightning display beneath Toni’s feet was
disorientating, but she managed to make it to the seat, and twisted to face
Kaesah.

“Myr is what we call the living entities that carry my species to
distant stars. We are the only species capable of traveling this way.”

“That thing’s alive?”

“Alive, yes. Myrs are non-sentient entities
that feed on the hydrogen emitted by nebulae and stars. They originate in a
nebula located in a sector of space not far from NaQwi, called Terxir. The
current theory is that they create what you call a wormhole that rolls up space
to migrate to nebulae.”

Toni tried to picture space as an enormous rug you rolled up. It
didn’t make any sense to her, but she didn’t want to look like a stupid
Earthling. “Like our theory of folding space? Isn’t that how the Phlurx
travel?” Really, she didn’t understand that theory either, or how the Phlurx
traveled, but heard it on a TV show. She felt foolish after saying it.

“The Phlurx use extra-dimensional travel, as do most spacefaring
species.”

“Is that interdimensional travel, where you go to a parallel
universe?”

“They utilize one of the spatial dimensions where space is
compressed. The method is risky as ships can sustain damage that result in
their destruction when they exit the dimension. That is why a few Phlurx ships
have crashed on Urtye.”

“Like at Roswell?”

Kaesah seemed to look puzzled for a moment. “Roswell is the place
where your government recovered a crashed Phlurx ship. I came across
information on that event in my research on your government’s contact with the
Phlurx.”

“Ha! I knew our government was covering up what really went on at
Roswell.”

“The Phlurx have crashed at many locations on Urtye. Your planet’s
governments have kept these events hidden.”

“Why am I not surprised,” Toni said
dryly. “Your ships, do they crash?”

“No. They exit a wormhole outside the strong gravitational field
of a planet.”

“Do all of your starships use a Myr as their drive?”

“Those that travel to the stars do. Ships that use Myr stellar
drive also have sub-light-speed and light-speed booster engines for short
distance travel that are powered by electromagnetic energy.”

Toni surveyed the surrounding display of lightning. “How do you
capture one and get it on a ship?”

“Myrs are attracted to hollow objects such as deep fissures and
caverns found on asteroids and small moons. They reside in them much as your
hermit crabs live in shells of dead sea creatures. We
design our ships to lure them. Once they are aboard, they are contained in a
special compartment on the ship.”

Kaesah spoke in her language and a three-dimensional image of a
jellyfish-like creature materialized in front of the chair. “This is how a Myr
appears in its natural state.”

“They look like jellyfish.”

“They are nothing like jellyfish. Their main composition consists
of plasma. When it is time for them to propagate, they migrate back to Terxir
and undergo mitosis, much as amoebae.”

“They don’t do that while they’re on a ship, do they?”

“That would be catastrophic. We use neophyte Myrs. It will be four
hundred or more years until this one reaches maturity and propagates. Their
life spans are approximately one thousand years.”

Kaesah spoke again in her language, and the image changed to what
looked to Toni like a unicorn’s horn, or a spiraled seashell. Its bronze-hued
hull shimmered with a cascade of twinkling lights. “This is Flowering Star.
Sensors surround the ship and are able to penetrate its security cloak. What
you see is a live picture.”

An amber globe of swirling electricity was set into the larger
end. The pointed end sported glowing gossamer threads.

“It’s beautiful. That electric globe at the bigger end, it’s the
Myr, isn’t it?”

“Yes. A special alloy contains it. The alloy is what this room and
the ceiling of the arboretum are composed of, and can be made to change from
opaque to clear.”

“Those threads out the back, they’re part of the Myr, aren’t
they?”

“Those are its feed tubes through which the Myr draws in the
hydrogen that sustains it. The feed tubes extend along special compartments in
the ship’s bottom. Flowering Star measures—let me convert our
measurements.” Kaesah closed her eyes, her expression one of concentration. She
opened her eyes. “Two-hundred-forty yards in length. It is small when compared
to freighters and military ships.”

“Wow. This ship’s as long as two football fields. How do you get
the Myr to go from point A to point B?”

“Each star, nebula, planet, and moon emits its own distinct radio
wave signal. Myr brains act as radio receivers and lock onto radio waves. Myrs
open wormholes through which they leap to where the signal originates.”

Toni’s sight travelled from the image of Flowering Star to
above where part of the Myr was located. It fascinated her to imagine this room
was actually in the creature. That she was in the creature. “I guess you tell
this Myr what solar system or star to go to and it goes?”

“A radio signal for the location where we want to go is
transmitted to the Myr’s brain.” Kaesah avoided eye contact, Toni getting a
distinct impression she was nervous.

“My guess is you hook its brain up to the bio-computer somehow to
do that.”

Kaesah fixed her eyes on Toni’s. “I am the Navigator. I link my
mind with the Myr’s mind and transmit a signal through my brain waves that I
receive from the omni-unit.”

This wasn’t what Toni had expected to hear. Creep
Zone. But based on what had happened so far, it wouldn’t surprise
her if Santa Claus came waltzing in with the Easter Bunny. “Why can’t the
bio-computer do it? Brain waves are a kind of electric impulse, aren’t they?
Wouldn’t it work the same if electric impulses came from an artificial
intelligence?”

“No. Myr brains cannot receive information that way. There is a
substance, an enzyme, a Myr produces that cause a
bio-chemical reaction in NaQwin brains, making our brain waves acceptable to a
Myr. The ability to survive the enzyme is encoded in NaQwin DNA.”

Pieces started to fall in place, Toni getting a queasy churning in
the pit of her stomach. “And the Anchor?”

Kaesah became still. Toni couldn’t detect a muscle move anywhere
in her body. Time seemed to freeze as if waiting for a momentous revelation to
set it in motion once again.

The hiss of Kaesah releasing her breath set time back in motion.
“It requires two minds, linked together, and to a Myr, to leap. This link is
Deep Merge. Without the Anchor, a Navigator’s mind would link with the Myr’s
mind and be unable to break free. If a Navigator’s link is forcefully severed
from the Myr, she would die.”

“Oh my god.” The taste of bile flooded
Toni’s mouth. “You want me to hook up my mind to that thing. That’s why you
need someone with your species’ genes. I won’t do it!”

“You will do it. Willingly or unwillingly.”

With a forceful push from the chair, Toni stood and glared down at
Kaesah. “I won’t do it! Pick someone else to be…be
your Anchor!”

Emitting a growl, Kaesah sprang from the chair, moved within
Toni’s personal space, her features angry. Condemnation lay heavy in her tone.
“Your species would be proud of you, Antonia Kaye Lorne. You are the pinnacle
of what it means to be all that you call human. You are shriveled in soul,
selfish, and would sacrifice others for the alleviation of your own fear.”

Anger made Toni get the feeling her head was about to explode.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. As far as I know, you’ve
been feeding me bullshit—”

“You know nothing!” Kaesah’s nostrils flared, cheeks darkening to
dusky red. Her whole body seemed to quiver. She shut her eyes, drew in a deep
breath, and slowly released it. Her demeanor became tranquil, her voice evenly
modulated with a hint of sadness. “Antonia Kaye Lorne, see the world with the
new eyes I have given you. Does your soul not weep now that you know because of
your fear you have condemned your kind to possible genocide and my world to
possible extinction?”

The truth of Kaesah’s words pummeled Toni. No. This was just
speculation. Still, the possibility did exist that what Kaesah told her could
happen. Could she live with that? No. Guilt would consume her.

Fear. She was afraid. But wouldn’t
she march through hell if it would bring Lisa back to her? Yes. Would she do
this if Lisa was alive and this was the only way to save her? Yes. Was Lisa’s
life, or her own, worth more than anyone else’s, worth more than untold
generations of billions of beings that could be lost to the Universe?

“I’ll do it.” Those were the hardest words Toni ever had to say.
Tears flooded her eyes, her voice shaky. “But I’m afraid.” She broke then,
bringing her hands to her eyes to try to stop the flow of tears.

Kaesah grasped her gently on the shoulder, voice calm. “You will
not be alone. I will be there with you.”

Chapter Six

Cool mist from the waterfall was a balm on Kaesah’s bare skin. She
sat on a flat, broad stone at the pool’s edge, breathed in scents of fecund
life, and listened to the splash of water when it hit the pool. Many would hear
the cacophony as a constant rumble. Yet if one relaxed body and mind, the
different tonal resonances of millions of drops striking the liquid surface
that produced waves, eddies, and tiny whirlpools could be separated into
chords. The attempt was futile now, as thoughts of Toni invaded her mind.

They had returned to the sleep room, Toni in a daze and on verge
of shock. Kaesah had prepared a cup of hot sedative tea for her. Toni had been
reluctant to drink it, Kaesah knowing she did not trust her. To show Toni that
the tea was safe, Kaesah had noisily sipped it. Toni then drank it with no
protest.

Kaesah had put a sleep mat next to the one Toni used, so that she
could observe her. Toni had turned away from Kaesah and faced the wall, not
saying a word. Soon, Toni had fallen asleep.

As she had rested by Toni and heard the sound of her even
respiration, her dislike for this Urtyne abated. She did not require Merge to
know Toni, in her soul, was a decent being. It was a difficult decision to
venture into the unknown with no reference point to know what would happen.
Toni had thrust her fear back inside its cage. Kaesah respected that, admired
it even. She had drifted into a light slumber. A while later she woke to find
Toni still asleep, and had slipped out of the room and gone to the omni-center
to update the ship’s logs. When her task was finished, she came to the pool to
meditate.

“Ah, sorry to disturb you,” Toni said from behind her. “I’ll
stroll around the arboretum a bit.”

Kaesah glanced over her shoulder at Toni. “You do not disturb me,
please stay.” She turned to face Toni. “Are you hungry?”

“A bit, but I can wait. I want to hear more about what I’m
supposed to do to link to the Myr, and to Deep Merge.”

Kaesah noticed Toni avert her eyes. Because of Toni’s cultural
taboos, Kaesah knew nudity made her uncomfortable. It was common for NaQwins to
go nude when enjoying a leisure day at the beach, and in balmier seasons, many
people bared their chests. She and Atimki had often dispensed with garments
while aboard ship. Now that Toni was here, Kaesah would need to be more
circumspect.

She walked down from the wet spray of the waterfall, retrieved her
garments from top of a large, flat stone by the pool’s edge, dressed, and sat
on the stone. “Come, Toni, sit by me. Relax. Place your feet in the pool. The
sensation is pleasurable.” She pulled the pants’ legs up and plopped her feet
into the water.

Toni sat next to her and removed her ebebs, the sock-like shoes
worn indoors for comfort. She rolled up the legs of her pants, and dangled her
feet in the water. “I haven’t done this since I was a kid. I had forgotten how good
it feels.”

Kaesah gave Toni a warm smile. “Even among NaQwins the duties of
an adult make us forget the simple pleasures we reveled in when children.”
Kaesah studied the woman next to her, seeing blue eyes study her. The time had
come to inform Toni of her plans. “I want to administer the enzyme to you
tomorrow.”

“Whenever you think is best.” Toni’s voice sounded flat.

“I informed you about the enzyme earlier.”

“You said it comes from the Myr and allows your brain to link with
its.” Toni stirred uneasily. “Could it kill me? I
mean, not just the enzyme, but hooking to the Myr.”

Kaesah drew her feet from the water and faced Toni. “I will speak
truth. You carry some NaQwin genes as dominant, and since the ability to
survive the enzyme is encoded in NaQwin DNA, I believe the probability high
that this will enable you to survive its introduction. I also believe you will
have the same initial reaction to the enzyme, as does a NaQwin. When first
administered it feels as if the cold of Void has entered your body. The cold
becomes so intense it burns. This lasts for two to three minutes, but those
minutes seem an eternity. Fever will ensue with intermittent chills. This will
last for four to five hours.”

“I guess it’s true when they say no pain, no gain.” Toni nibbled
her bottom lip for a second. “And hooking my brain to the Myr’s?”

“Enhancements to your brain created by the enzyme will make your
link to the Myr acceptable and should not harm you.”

“How do I link?”

“You will link by touching one of the Myr’s filaments that are
about its body. These are nerve endings attached to what is equivalent to the
nucleus accumbens. Your mind will link with the Myr’s nucleus accumbens. You
will know the link is accomplished when you perceive a sound, a blending of
harmonics as if the winds of the Universe are singing. One cannot perceive it
by ear, only with the mind. Our myths call it the ‘Song of Creation’.”

“Song of Creation?”

“Our myths say when Creator sang and danced the Universe into
existence she shed tears of joy. The first Myr was a teardrop that rested on
Creator’s lips when she sang the ‘Song of Creation’. This teardrop floated into
Void carrying the song within it. Ever since then, Myrs carry the ‘Song of
Creation’ within them that only a Navigator and her Anchor can hear. We believe
the song a blessing bestowed on the pair.”

“A blessing is a good thing, I guess. How long does this link
last? How do I discontinue it?”

“You break the link by not touching the filament. Your first link
will last for approximately two minutes. I will inform you when to break
contact. The brain pattern of Flowering Star’s Myr will imprint on your
brain. You will not be able to link with any other Myr.”

“But one who has never linked with a Myr, does have the capability
to link with Flowering Star’s Myr?”

“They have the capability, yes. However, not every NaQwin is
suited to Deep Merge. Those selected are honored.”

“Then I’m honored.” Toni sounded a little ironic. “How do we Deep
Merge?”

“Deep Merge occurs when a Myr, Anchor, and Navigator link minds
together and the Myr opens a wormhole to leap. There is a device I attach to my
temple that connects to my brain, enabling it to receive the radio signal of
our destination from the omni-unit, and transmit it to a receiver located in
the Myr’s brain. The Myr will fix on the target and leap to it. Depending on
the destination, a leap can last from a minute to nine hours.” Her features
became serious. “Without my link through you to the Myr’s nucleus accumbens, my
mind would form a permanent bond with the Myr’s mind. You are the only one who
can break it.”

Toni combed her fingers through her hair. “Boy, you’re telling me
some heavy stuff. How long does it take to reach NaQwi?”

“Three and a half months would be the norm. We cannot make a
direct leap from here to NaQwi, because the Myr would not have enough energy to
accomplish that. We must stop at nebulae, suns, and planets rich in hydrogen
along the way to allow the Myr to feed. One new to Deep Merge will feel fatigue
and develop headaches. They require extended periods of rest than one
accustomed to it. I think it will take four months. Perhaps
five.”

“Where will we leap to first?”

“The fifth planet in this solar
system.”

Toni knitted her brow. “Jupiter? Why Jupiter?”

“The leap is short. Since it will be your first leap, I do not
want you to overextend yourself. Also, hydrogen released from Jupiter is
plentiful, unlike Urtye, which is hydrogen poor. The Myr’s main source of
hydrogen while Flowering Star orbits Urtye comes from solar winds.”

Toni’s grin was broad. “Hey, I’ll be the first human to visit
Jupiter…and beyond to strange new worlds.”

“Perhaps.” Kaesah smiled at Toni’s
excitement.

“What’s to prevent the Myr from
leaping to someplace on its own without instructions?”

“A prohibiting device is planted in a portion of its brain that
blocks radio wave signals. This device deactivates when we are linked to the
Myr and I send it directions.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

For a brief moment, Kaesah debated on how much she should
initially disclose to Toni. She was afraid if she revealed everything Deep
Merge entailed too soon, it might distress Toni and she might back out of the
agreement, forcing Kaesah into measures she did not want to do.

“We will talk more about this later.” Kaesah got to her feet. “I
am hungry. Let us go to my garden. I think I want a salad. I have many other
fresh vegetables in stasis that I grew in my garden. They are from my home
world and I am curious if you will find them palatable.”

Toni stood, giving her a lopsided grin. “If you prepare the meal,
does that mean I wash the dishes?”

****

“Wow. This is some garden.” Toni stood in an entryway that led
from the arboretum and into the garden. She recognized the smell of loam and
growing vegetation. This garden was at least three times larger than her
twenty-by-thirty-foot backyard vegetable patch. There were vines climbing up
trellises, staked plants, running plants, and she viewed squat trees in the
back.

Kaesah picked up two baskets by the wall, handing one to Toni. She
walked down a row of bean vines and stopped. “We will pick jossu first. I
noticed that you seemed to enjoy it when we last ate.”

“Yeah, it tasted pretty good. It reminded me of boiled peanuts.”
Toni plucked a few four-inch black pods from a vine. “How did you keep this
watered and fertilized while on Earth?”

“A hydro system is under the soil to provide moisture and
nutrients. There is also a way to produce dormancy in plant growth.”

“What, or who, feeds the fish?”

“Use of an automatic fish feeder is required. Every three months,
I would contact my scout ship to retrieve me from an isolated location outside
Baltimore and go to Flowering Star to run a routine check of the ship’s
systems. I would also replenish the feeder.”

“Do all NaQwin ships have a garden and arboretum?”

“No. Although most ships belonging to science colleges do.
Especially those assigned lengthy missions away from NaQwi. One never knows
what the food situation will be on another world. We also carry preserved foods
and rations for emergencies.” Kaesah scrunched up her face, the universal sign
for something distasteful. “Rations are reconstituted with water. The taste
is.…”

“Gross, nasty, yucky, vile?”

“Vile, yes. I would gladly eat fish
entrails before I had to resort to eating rations.”

Toni grimaced. “Ugh. I’ve had powdered eggs. You add water and
cook them. They’re nasty, tasting nothing like real eggs, but I can’t say I’d
pick fish guts instead. How did you move those trees into the arboretum? It
must have taken a lot of ingenuity to get them on the ship.”

“Seeds and saplings were planted by Flowering Star’s first
Navigator and Anchor almost one hundred years ago.”

“You don’t mind me bothering you with questions, do you?” Toni
liked hearing Kaesah talk. She enjoyed hearing her soprano voice, its musical
timbre, and erudite way with lack of contractions.

“Of course not. How else will you learn? We
have picked enough jossu. Let me show you how to pick blukot fruit without
injury.”

“I don’t have to scramble to the top of a tree and risk falling
and breaking my neck, do I?”

“The sweetest fruit always hangs from the loftiest branch. The
reward goes to the bold. Are you bold, Toni?”

“If it doesn’t involve having my neck broke.”

Toni knew climbing to the top of a tree wasn’t anything near as
daunting as what she was going to do. Deep Merge. She thought she must be bold
after all. Bold and stupid.

****

A dozen or so blue, red, and purple fish, almost a foot long,
churned the pool’s surface in their scramble for food Kaesah threw to them. She
tossed the remaining pellets from a bowl toward the melee, and then sat by Toni
at the pool’s edge.

“They sure are greedy little boogers,” Toni said. “What kinda fish
are they?”

“They are shumuks and are a popular ornamental fish for pools.”

“Can you eat them?”

Kaesah shot Toni a glance of disapproval. “They are bred as pets
and ornamentation, not for consumption.” A disturbing thought beset her. “You
will not eat my shumuks. I will not allow it.”

“There’s not much that can beat fried catfish and hushpuppies.
That big red one is the right size for a frying pan. Yummy,
yum, yum.” Toni smacked her lips and then snickered.

Kaesah ignored the teasing.

“Do you mind me asking how your Anchor died?” Toni asked.

“Drozt took her.”

“I’m sorry you lost her. I too lost someone and know how it
feels.”

Lost her?
Atimki would never be lost. A part of Atimki would always remain in Kaesah’s
soul, though she understood the sentiment Toni expressed. “You speak of your
mate. Atimki was my mate. She was Trynt of Flowering Star…and my
mentor.”

“How long were you two together?”

“Almost nineteen years.”

“My wife’s name was Lisa. She died nine months ago from a heart
defect she didn’t even know she had. We were together for eleven years.”

“I am sad for you.” Kaesah bowed her head in a gesture of sympathy,
as was customary for her people.

They watched the fish in companionable silence for a moment until
Toni asked, “Can we talk more about this enzyme? Will it alter me in other ways
besides being able to link with the Myr?”

Kaesah debated on how much to reveal. Yet, she needed to inform
Toni of an important result of Deep Merge. “The changes the enzyme will make in
your brain will result in Deep Merge permanently linking our minds together in
what NaQwins call Merge. We will sense the emotions of each other. However,
when we touch, we will immerse in each other’s emotions—share them.”

“When you say sense emotions, you mean this will only happen when
we Deep Merge?”

“We will sense them without Deep Merge.”

“You won’t be able to read my mind, will you?” Toni sounded
anxious.

“No.”

“I’m not sure I like this. Will we constantly sense each other’s
emotions?”

“When we are in empathic range.”

“Empathic range?”

“That is the range in which a Merged pair
can sense each other’s emotions and presence.”

“How far does this empathic range go?”

“When first Merged, this can be from
approximately one hundred feet to a hundred yards. The range increases over
time.”

“Ah…I won’t lie to you. All of this disturbs me. Big time disturbs
me.”

For now, Kaesah would withhold everything that Merge could entail.

Chapter Seven

Toni rolled onto her right side as she tried to get comfortable,
her thoughts racing when she imagined what would happen tomorrow. Why oh why
did she agree to this? Maybe she suffered from a form of Stockholm Syndrome.

The enzyme could kill her. In no way did a high probability of
survival guarantee one hundred percent. But what was the alternative? Living in
guilt for the rest of her life while wondering if what Kaesah told her might
happen on Earth would happen? Then there was the guilt
about Kaesah’s people.

Her mouth felt dry. She tried to think of sucking a lemon to
produce saliva, but her glands must have shut down. Finally, she pushed herself
up and off the mat, yanked down the yellow, too short sleep shirt Kaesah had
given her, to below mid-thigh, and headed for the galley.

“Toni?” Kaesah said from the mat nearby.

Toni could make out Kaesah’s shadowy features in the twilight.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you. I’m gonna get a drink of water. Do you want
me to bring you a cup?”

“No, thank you.”

Toni went into the galley, got a cup of water, drinking it in
three gulps. She deposited the cup in the dishwasher, then
stood in the galley entrance, gazing out at the trees, their trunks ghostly in
the subdued light. The waterfall was the only sound she heard. No breeze
rustled leaves of the trees as it would have in the oak next to their bedroom
at home. Their bedroom. Her and
Lisa’s. Once again, she fell into the abyss as tightness of grief seized
her chest and throat, forcing out a choked sob.

Then a comforting touch was on her shoulder. “Come, tell me what
troubles you.” Kaesah held her hand and led her through shadowed landscape to
the pool where she pulled her down to sit beside her on a flat rock.

Toni sniffed, wiping away tears with her fingers. “I’m sorry.”

“Why do you apologize? You have done me no insult or harm.”

“I…” Toni fell silent and listened to the waterfall for a moment.
“I miss her, so much.” A cry escaped her as tears once again welled.

Gentle arms encircled her, Toni resting her head on a comfortable
shoulder. After a minute or two, she moved out of Kaesah’s embrace. “I’m sorry.
I got your sleep shirt wet.”

“Do not be sorry. My shirt will dry. Never apologize for grieving
for a loved one. Each tear is a tribute to the joy they bestowed on us while
they lived.”

In the dim light, Toni saw tears on Kaesah’s cheeks. She touched
one with her forefinger, and whispered, “You miss her.”

Kaesah’s eyes closed, her tone laden with sorrow. “Her leaving has
taken a part of my soul.”

Kaesah opened her eyes, Toni’s pain reflected in them. Her pain
is so human. Toni realized as soon as the thought materialized that her
comparison was ethnocentric. What she saw in Kaesah’s eyes was that love and
grief were older, much older, than the human race, and universal.

Toni’s voice was hoarse from emotion. “Thank you…for sharing.”

“I am the one who thanks you.”

Chapter Eight

Toni’s agonized scream ripped at Kaesah’s conscience, making her
feel guilt that she was part of the cause of so much anguish. Kaesah knew the
pain was almost unbearable, as she had experienced it when the enzyme was
administered to her those many years ago.

Another tortured scream tore from Toni’s throat as she thrashed,
the restraints securing her to the examination table. The immobilizer and
sedatives could not be used, as they would interfere with the brain’s desired
response to the enzyme.

A glance at the monitor showed her Toni’s vital signs. With
concern, Kaesah noted that her blood pressure and heart rate were elevated to a
critical level.

Toni screamed again before she became limp. The monitor display
indicated a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. Brain function was
normal, except for areas of increased activity required to Deep Merge.

Suddenly, hot eyes opened in features twisted into a grotesque
mask of contempt, burning Kaesah as Toni spat out with vehemence, “I hate you. Burn in hell, bitch!” The words exploded with the force of a
nova, spittle peppering Kaesah’s face.

“Wa…water.” Toni shivered.

Kaesah took a pliable bottle containing water mixed with
electrolytes, slid the tube in Toni’s mouth and squeezed out a small amount.
She thought Toni would not be able to swallow due to her trembling, then heard
an audible gulp and saw movement of her throat muscles. She gave her more
water, put the bottle aside, and covered her with a blanket.

For the next four hours, Kaesah monitored Toni’s physical signs as
she went from violent shivers to hotness. In her more fevered state, Toni called out, “Lisa,” beseeching Lisa not to
leave.

Kaesah cried to hear that sorrowful plea. Cried
for Toni’s loss, and for her own. She wet a cloth with cool water and
bathed Toni’s brow, hoping to bring her comfort.

Finally, Toni’s fever abated, leaving her in a peaceful sleep.
Kaesah studied Toni’s placid face, her words of hate resounding in Kaesah’s
thoughts. Her rational mind knew pain and fever had been behind Toni’s words,
but they disturbed her all the same. For the two of them to form an amicable
bond, and more, they had to move beyond the words and pain.

She brushed a strand of sweat-dampened hair from Toni’s forehead
and caressed her cheek. “Will you try? For me? For us?”

****

A raucous snort through her nose jerked Toni from sleep. She moved
her head to gape around the semi-dark room, which was a mistake as it felt as
if someone pounded a spike through her temples. The inside of her mouth tasted
like a foul piece of suede and her throat felt raw.

Taking a chance her head wouldn’t explode,
she called out, “Kaesah.” Only to have it come out in a croak. She called out
more loudly, “Kaesah.”

With effort, she tried to push up to sit, but a spike in her head
became an explosion. A sudden onslaught of nausea hit her and she rapidly
rolled to the mat’s edge to vomit onto the deck, only to dry heave.

Kaesah entered the room and guided Toni to lie down, then tucked
the blanket about her shoulders. “Do not move. I will prepare a remedy for your
queasiness.”

“My head hurts, and my throat’s sore,” Toni grumbled as she
massaged her temples in an attempt to ease the throbbing pain.

“I have medication for those as well.” Kaesah hurriedly left the
room.

Toni stretched her legs and then started. She lifted the blanket
and saw that she was naked. Before going to the infirmary, she had put on a
sleep shirt. She was always uncomfortable with others seeing her naked, except
for Lisa. There was probably a good reason Kaesah removed her sleep shirt.
Maybe she had vomited on it—or worse. She squirmed, feeling embarrassed that
Kaesah might have had to clean up gross stuff.

Gingerly, she sat up, pulling the blanket about her shoulders.
Closing her eyes, she fought to keep nausea at bay. Soon, she heard Kaesah’s
muffled footsteps and cocked an eye open to see her place a tray by the sleep
mat.

Kaesah knelt by Toni and took a cup from the tray. “This is pylou
juice mixed with vertu extract. It will reduce queasiness and alleviate your
other symptoms.”

Toni took the cup, keeping a hand on the blanket so it wouldn’t
slip down and expose her breasts. “Is it an herbal remedy?”

“Yes. We NaQwins prefer natural remedies. Nature is the Universe’s
pharmacy.”

Toni tentatively tasted the medication, grimacing at its
bitterness.

“Try to drink it all,” Kaesah said.

With a roll of her eyes, Toni hastily downed the rest, and
shuddered. “Ugh. Yuck.”

Kaesah took the cup and handed her the tumbler. “Taff.
That is the NaQwin word for water.”

The water helped relieve the rawness in Toni’s throat. She handed
the tumbler back to Kaesah and lay back down, watching Kaesah through droopy
eyelids, seeing concern in her dark eyes.

“How did you get me back here?” Toni asked.

“I used an antigravity converter.”

“The same one you used to get me on your scout ship?” Kaesah had
shown Toni the ring box-sized antigravity converter used to transport her up to
Lal.

“Yes. Can I do anything for you? Do you wish to eat?”

At the thought of food, Toni’s stomach lurched with nausea, saliva
flooding her mouth. “Don’t mention food.” She rubbed a hand across her face. “I
want to wash my face.”

“I will get what you need.” Kaesah got up and exited, taking the
tray with her.

Toni’s headache started to abate along with her queasiness.
Tiredness forced her eyes shut, and she was drifting toward sleep when she
heard movement. She opened her eyes to see Kaesah sitting by the mat with legs
crossed. Kaesah took a washcloth from a bowl of water, wrung it, and cleaned
Toni’s face.

“Ah…I must have messed up my sleep shirt.” Toni braced herself for
the answer.

“Perspiration saturated your shirt, so I removed it and cleaned
you with a mild cleansing solution.”

“Thanks for taking care of me.” Toni felt relieved it was just
sweat.

“You are welcome.” Kaesah glanced down, her bottom lip quivering.
She peered up at Toni with eyes that glittered with tears, her voice strained
and quiet. “Forgive. I am sad I caused you pain.”

Toni’s heart melted when she heard Kaesah’s plaintive plea and saw
genuine regret in her face. She wanted to hug Kaesah, to soothe away her worry.

“Hey, there’s nothing to forgive. You were upfront with me and
all. So, what say we forget about it?”

A tremulous smile appeared on Kaesah’s face, her expression
registering relief. “You should stay in bed. Sleep would be beneficial.”

“What if I have to go tinkle?”

“Tinkle.” Kaesah released a short
chuckle. “I will assist you to the ablution room. Do not attempt it without
help or you might fall and injure yourself.”

“I’ll be bored if I stay in bed all day.” She knew she was acting
like a fussy child, something she tended to do when sick. “Do you have a
television I can watch that can pick up Earth broadcasts?”

“We NaQwins do not spend hours a day entertaining ourselves that
way. We do not have game shows, or daily stories that delve into fictional
infidelities, or inane contests where one competes for votes for singing or
dancing. The primary function of our media is for education and information. We
attend concerts, live plays, or sporting events with friends and relatives. We
socialize and entertain in our homes, play games or converse.”

Toni bit the inside of her mouth to keep from grinning at Kaesah’s
observations of what was on television these days. For Kaesah to know about the
programs meant she must have watched them. “You’re really not much different from
some of us in America, are you? I mean culture wise?”

“We have many similarities. We have vocations and form familial
attachments.”

“Familial attachments? You get married and have
families?”

“Of course we do. Familial bonds are found in most advanced species,
except for a few, such as the Phlurx.”

“When you told me about your colony on Earth, you mentioned
something about NaQwins combining two women’s eggs to make a baby.”

“Yes. We call it tul-lek. The nucleus from one ovum is extracted
and prepared in a special way and then inserted into another ovum. The
fertilized ovum is planted in the womb of the mother who will carry and bear
the child.”

“A lesbian couple’s dream. That is, for couples who want children.” She had brought up the subject of children with
Lisa around five years into their relationship. Lisa hadn’t been interested and
Toni never brought up that subject again.

“You do not wish to mother children?”

“You mean have children?”

“Yes.”

Toni shrugged. “I’ve thought about it. From what I hear from
friends who have children, they take a lot of time and effort to raise. I don’t think I’d be able to do it alone.”

“For NaQwins, mothering children is a privilege one earns. On your
planet almost anyone can produce a child, often with disastrous consequences
for the child and society.”

“I can’t argue with you there. How does one earn a child?”

“By demonstrating that you are a
good citizen.
One demonstrates this by the respect you give to others, contributing to the
well-being of society, and wanting to devote time needed to nurture a child.
Then our government allows you to mother children, though we are encouraged to
limit the number of children to one or two. We do not have the population
problems Urtye has. Our government subsidizes a parent or parents who wish to
stay home and raise their children.”

“So, you have single parents as well as those in a relationship?”

“Yes. Most NaQwins prefer to be in a relationship or
relationships. As you pointed out, raising a child is a difficult task and an
endeavor suited to more than one.”

“Relationships? You mean extended family, like
mothers, grandmothers, sisters living together in one home?”

“For the majority of NaQwins pair bonding is the norm. Some do
enter polygamous relationships.”

“You’re allowed more than one wife at a time?” Toni’s tone was one
of criticism. She didn’t want to think about that sort of relationship,
especially when it came to sexual interactions.

“Your disapproval surprises me.” Kaesah sounded amused. “Your holy
books are full of stories of polygamy. Some of your cultures still practice it.
Of course, they are one male with many females. Perhaps you do not approve of
three or more females sharing a loving relationship?”

“I apologize. I shouldn’t judge you.”

“I take no offense.”

“Er…what type of relationship do you prefer?” Toni hoped it would
be monogamy. Geez, Toni, what’s it to you if she has a harem full of wives
waiting for her to come home?

“Those who are Merged are pair bonded.”

“You can’t Merge with more than one
person?”

“No. It is taboo. Merge to more than one would present
difficulties in trying to discern whose emotions you sensed.”

“I can see your point. Is that the reason it’s taboo?”

“Perhaps one reason. The taboo is ancient and has
roots that stretch back to the beginning of my species.”

“Will you get in trouble with your government because of my Deep
Merge?” If Kaesah’s government punished her, that sure wouldn’t bode well for
Toni.

There followed a moment of silence. “It was necessary. My
government will understand.” She must have known Toni’s question included her
safety too. “My government will see you as honorable for giving service to
NaQwi.” Kaesah glanced away, looking uneasy. Once again, she focused on Toni.
“As I have said, those that are Merged are pair
bonded. I believe my people, and my government, will consider us pair
bonded—married.”

Toni’s breath hitched. “Even though I’m not
NaQwin?”

“Yes.”

Toni thought about this. What difference did it make if Kaesah’s
people believed them married? It wouldn’t matter because she would return to
Earth. She shrugged. “Let them. After I help you get home, you’ll bring me back
to Earth.” Toni chuckled in amusement. “End of marriage and you’ll be a free
woman.” With a yawn, Toni lay back down. Looking up at Kaesah, she saw what
appeared to be a worried expression. Toni lifted her eyebrows in question,
about to ask her what was the matter.

Kaesah abruptly stood. “You are tired. I will let you rest.”
Kaesah left the room, Toni slipping into sleep.

****

“I can’t get over how beautiful Earth is from here,” Toni said.

Kaesah smiled to see Toni’s rapt expression as she stared up at
the view through the transparent ceiling from a flat rock she reclined on, her
fingers laced beneath her head. Kaesah drew her feet out of the water and lay
back against the same rock, next to Toni.

This was day two since Toni received the enzyme, and she had shown
no unexpected ill effects. Neural scans revealed that the enzyme had activated
the correct area of Toni’s brain required to link with the Myr. She did complain
of a good amount of fatigue, which required her to take long naps.

“Does NaQwi look like Earth?” Toni asked.

“NaQwi is the name of our sun and also the name of our solar
system. It means daughter of hope. The first planet colonized in our solar system
was NaQwi Nali, jewel of NaQwi, which is my home planet. NaQwi Nali has three
moons. The other habitable planet in our system is Ditera, little sister. We
also have four habitable moons orbiting Pasokal, a gas giant. They are Terom,
Sestos, Mites, and Sitso. The gas giant Klos has one habitable moon, Xisos.
This moon is icy with vast forests of conifers. Our penal colony is located
there.

“My home planet has a proportional amount of ocean and land
similar to Urtye, but our land is fragmented with many islands, large and
small. Our rotation is faster than Urtye’s. Our knosis, or days, are
twenty-four mots. Mots are hours. Our hours are equal to fifty-eight of your
minutes. Our year is three hundred forty-four days and divided into ten kazus,
months. We are nearer to our sun than your planet is to Sol. This also makes
our planet warmer. Snowfall is rare, even in areas adjacent our poles.”

Toni plucked up a hand-sized blue leaf next to her and examined
it. “I notice your plants have a lot of blue in them. Is this normal for your
planet?”

“Yes. From space my planet appears blue with very scant amounts of
green, except for aquamarine due to shallow ocean areas.”

“What color is your sky?”

“Our sun is more in the yellow-orange range than Sol, and the
composition of our atmosphere has minor differences from that of Urtye. This
makes our sky appear amethyst.” She studied Toni’s profile. “I will select some
nature programs about my home planet and our different worlds for you to
watch.”

“I’d like that.” Toni hesitated, looking concerned. “Uh…I won’t
have to hook up to the omni-unit, will I?”

“No. I will have the programs projected into the sleep room. I
will also have the omni-unit translate them into English.” Kaesah smiled. “When
we reach NaQwi, I will show you my planet and the other worlds in our system.”

“When will you bring me back to Earth? It’s not that I want to
rush things, but I’ve a business to run and I want to get back to my life.
Although I think me being gone for months will complicate things.”

“Perhaps a year. Tell me of these
complications.” The thought of Toni going back to Urtye made Kaesah
uncomfortable.

“Well, there’s my business. I’m not sure if my friend and
assistant manager will be able to run it, because of any legality surrounding
my disappearance. Fortunately, I don’t owe anything on my house. I guess my
main worry is losing my insurance agency.”

“I understand what is required to run a successful business on
your planet. When Atimki and I came to Urtye, we established our laboratory
business. I recently sold the business. I have funds in accounts that I will
give you.”

Toni sat up and gave her a suspicious look. “A business takes
monetary funds to establish and keep afloat, especially in the initial stages.
How did you manage to do that?”

Kaesah looked up at Toni with a faint smile. “Gold.”

“Gold? How did you go about getting
this gold?”

“You are implying that I acquired it by illegal means.” Kaesah
tried for an affronted expression.

“That thought crossed my mind.”

“You offend me.”

Toni snorted. “I can tell you’re not offended. So, what’s the
story?”

Kaesah sat up. “Gold is the one element prized by most advanced
species in this galaxy. It never degrades; its conductivity and ductility
properties are superb. It is used in electronics and its ability to reflect
infrared radiation makes it essential in the construction of spacefaring
vehicles. When we were here five thousand
years ago, your people were already mining it for ornamentation and trade.
Atimki and I brought gold with us, converting it into credit.”

“How did you do that?”

“There are those individuals on your planet who will buy gold with
no questions asked. We had no difficulty in contacting various heads of state
and wealthy citizens to do this. The transactions with these individuals were
profitable.”

“You do this yourself? Or get a middleman—someone to assist you?”

“A few ounces of gold sold to those establishments that purchase
precious metals will open new dimensions of opportunity. Let these
entrepreneurs know you have more and they will assist you, for a price, in
connecting with the right customers.”

“Geez, girly, you’re lucky you didn’t get killed. Someone could’ve
double-crossed you and stolen your gold.”

“Greed for more kept them honest. We led them to believe
more was available. We received enough funds for what we wanted, changed our
identities, and disappeared into your society in North America.”

“How much stash you got back on Earth?”

“Stash?”

Toni rubbed her right thumb rapidly and repeatedly across the
fingertips. “Money. Where do you have it stashed?”

“I assume “stash” is a noun that refers to items secreted away.”

“You hit the nail on its head.”

“Hit the nail?”

“It means you’re right.”

“Twenty-two million of your dollars stashed in off shore accounts.
I will give you any amount you want when you return to Urtye.”

“That’s a lot of stash. I don’t think I’ll need it. Thanks
anyway.” Toni shook her head, her expression amused. “Oh, boy, selling gold and
offshore accounts. Kaesah, did you pay taxes on this money?”

“I paid only the required business taxes.”

Toni tossed the leaf in Kaesah’s direction. “Bad
girl. That makes you a crim-i-nal. Better watch it if you plan to do
business in America under the same alias. You could find yourself in the
slammer.”

“Slammer?”

“The big house, clink, pen,
jail, prison, penitentiary.”

“Why do you use your colloquial speech and idioms instead of
proper names and terms?” Kaesah felt some annoyance.

“Sorry. Habit, I guess.”

Kaesah knew Toni’s teasing held no malice, and it contained the
tone of amiability. She stood. “Come. I am hungry. Let us see what stash
of food is available for us to eat.”

Toni laughed as she stood to follow.

Chapter Nine

It feels like I’ve gained a hundred pounds.” Toni stood on the
catwalk with Kaesah and squinted down into the bright, yellow swirl of lights
emanated by the gravity generator.

“The effect is due to our proximity to the generator’s field. Our
weight has increased by thirty-three percent, but our mass remains the same.
Come, Toni, we will exercise.”

Four days had passed since the enzyme, and Toni’s general malaise
had faded, leaving restlessness. It became tedious to do little all day but
rest. Although she did enjoy Kaesah’s company and her descriptions of her home
world and stories of the cultural shock she had experienced while on Earth.
Three-dimensional programs of the natural wonders of NaQwi’s different planets
and moons Kaesah had selected for her to watch also entertained her. Images
were projected into the sleep room, or when in the arboretum, a saucer-sized
object called a data-converter received information
from the omni-unit and projected images around seven inches above it.

When Toni mentioned exercise this morning, Kaesah ran a physical
diagnostic before she agreed it would do her no harm.

They wore blue, one-piece jumpsuits that extended to right above
the knees, and hugged the body. It did take effort on Toni’s part to wriggle
into it, but it wasn’t uncomfortable because of the stretchable material.
Around her head was a black band of a woven fiber to keep her hair out of her
eyes. The NaQwin word for the headband was ahjon and they were worn mainly as
adornment.

Kaesah began an even trot on the catwalk that circled the
generator in an oval. Toni’s longer strides allowed her to keep up easily.

“How many laps are we doing?” Toni guessed the catwalk to be the
width and length of a basketball court.

“I do not want you to overextend yourself. I think ten laps will
be sufficient.”

“Ten? Piece of cake.” When seeing Kaesah’s
confusion, Toni added with a cocky air, “Easy, it’ll be easy.”

Kaesah lifted her eyebrows in what looked to be doubt. “We shall
see.” Kaesah increased her pace, now in a leisurely run.

After five circuits, Toni felt burning in her calves and thighs. In
an attempt to divert her attention away from her discomfort, she tried to focus
on the tour of Flowering Star last night. Kaesah had shown her the
oxygen generator, water recycler, cargo bay, and the room where the
electromagnetic generator was located that provided power to thruster engines,
gravity generator, and other systems. Kaesah wouldn’t take Toni beyond the
sealed doors to the generator room to see the apparatus, as energy radiated by
it could disrupt cell growth.

Another two circuits and Toni’s breathing came in labored breaths.
Not wanting to appear weak, she pushed herself, but lagged behind Kaesah. She
took a good gander at Kaesah’s rounded buttocks moving beneath the blue
material, and her nicely shaped legs. Kaesah was an attractive woman. A very attractive woman.

She wondered if Kaesah was typical of her species. The nature
programs she watched had a few NaQwins in them, all of them similar to Kaesah
in appearance with slim body type, eye color, dark skin tone, and hair color.
That might not mean every NaQwin looked the same. They could have different
races like humans.

Did Kaesah find Toni’s fuller figure attractive? Overly endowed,
Toni wasn’t, but she felt like a swimsuit model from the cover of a sports
magazine when she compared her body to Kaesah’s with its slim, petite physique.

Kaesah slowed and then stopped. A winded Toni pulled up beside
her, hands on sides, head back, as she drew in several deep gulps of air. She
noticed Kaesah’s appraisal of her body.

“You have exercised enough,” Kaesah said. “Your stamina will
build. We will do this every other day. Let us go to the infirmary so I can
check your vital signs.”

“We did that this morning. I feel great.”

“Truth. Nevertheless, your exercise was
strenuous, and with the recent introduction of the enzyme to your system it is
important to monitor your health.”

Toni let out an irritated puff. “Fine.
Let’s go.”

They exited the room and turned down a corridor toward the
infirmary, Toni coming to an abrupt halt. There, not ten feet away, were the
strangest creatures, or things, she had ever seen. A dozen or more
copper-colored, slug-like creatures, around two feet long, sluggishly slid
across the deck and up walls. Kaesah weaved her way through them, stopped, and
looked back at Toni.

Toni retreated a couple of steps. No way
would she get near those things.

Kaesah must have seen her distress because she strode through the
creatures and rested her hand on Toni’s shoulder. “They are called wintukas.
They are harmless and keep the ship clean.”

“Are they living, or a machine?”

“They are living. Their brains are primitive and augmented with
technology that programs them in which area to clean. Their natural habitat is
in tropical areas of the moon, Terom. They consume debris from jungle floors.”

“This ship looks pretty clean. There doesn’t seem to be much for
them to eat unless they go into the arboretum.” Toni shuddered when she
imagined these things crawling in the sleep room while she slept.

“They are programmed to go to a feed-station for additional nutrition.
At different times you will find them in certain areas.”

“I don’t want these creepy things crawling where I’m sleeping.”

“I can have the omni-unit schedule them to clean the sleep room
during our active hours. Come, Toni.” She grabbed Toni’s hand and pulled. Toni
followed, making sure she didn’t bump into any of the nasty things.

Toni wasn’t aware she was holding her breath until they were
through the gauntlet of beasts. “You ever think of hiring a cleaning service? I
can recommend the one I use to clean my office.”

“I can deactivate the wintukas, now that you are aboard ship. An
Anchor’s main duty is to keep the ship clean. I will show you where the broom
and mop are located.”

“I bet there’s not a broom or mop anywhere on this ship.”

Kaesah grinned and briskly strode away.

That grin had Toni worried. She trailed,
trying to catch up. “Kaesah, you’re not serious, are you?”

****

Kaesah heard Toni sigh and move restlessly on her sleep mat that
was a few feet from her own.

“Sorry I’m keeping you awake,” Toni said, “I’m nervous about
tomorrow.” It had been a week since the enzyme, and tomorrow Toni would link
with the Myr.

Kaesah rolled to face Toni, able to make out her profile in the
subdued light. “I want you to know I hold you in great esteem. As my Anchor,
your bravery will honor me.”

Toni twisted to see Kaesah. “Honor is important to your people,
isn’t it?”

“A person’s word and honor is the core of their character. To
break an oath is to deny what it means to be NaQwin. To act in a dishonorable
or unlawful way brings shame to your family and friends. You are a bu chuk, one
without honor.”

“You mentioned a penal colony on one of your moons. I take it you
have lawbreakers, such as murderers and thieves. That is if your people do
those sorts of things.”

“We have the capacity for aggression and violence, as do most
females of what you call humanoid species. On rare occasions, we do have those
who take the life of another. The population of all our worlds numbers three
billion, but we have just a few murders in a decade.”

“Do you have thieves?”

“Our government provides each citizen with the basic requirements
of food and shelter. Anything extra, you need a career or occupation to afford
them. Thievery does occur, but rarely. The culprits are usually caught. They
must make restitution to the victim and serve a sentence of public service.”

“I wish we on Earth had your almost nonexistent crime rate. Murder
is so common in Atlanta no one bats an eye. You can’t even go out alone at
night, and it’s not much safer during the day. A woman needs to be extra
vigilant.”

“My observations of your planet are that it is males and not
females who are the main propagators of violence. This might be due in part to
a component within male DNA combined with how your males are nurtured.”

“I don’t know. Maybe some violent tendencies in males are
connected to the Y chromosome.”

“Then genetics could be a major factor. The Chumpa are an
intelligent, spacefaring reptilian species whose males are prone to violence.
Their social structure is such that females dominate males to keep violence in
check. The Chumpa are born female and reared with no gender distinctions. When
they reach puberty, certain genes activate in those destined to be male. These
genes are linked to the males’ propensity for violent behavior.”

Kaesah saw the flash of Toni’s teeth as she grinned and said,
“I’ve known a few guys who were reptiles. Seriously, though, I know several
nice ones. From what you’ve told me, the majority of NaQwins seem to be
peaceful. I know honor plays a part in that, but do other cultural things, such
as religion, play a part?”

“Culture, I think, is the most important. We do not have the
ethnic or cultural diversity humans have. Our spiritual beliefs may hold
philosophical differences, but those differences do not lead us to think our
way is the one right way.”

“Religion is the root cause of a lot of our wars. Well, greed is,
and religion is sometimes an excuse. Christianity is supposed to be a religion
of peace and forgiveness. Sadly, many adherents preach hate and damnation. I
don’t believe in a vindictive or jealous immortal being, but I do believe
there’s a creative energy of good in the Universe.”

“The majority of NaQwins believe Destiny and the Universe are
living entities, and we are a part of the Universe, sharing in its purpose. We
have lived many lives in the past and will continue to live many more until we
fulfill the purpose Destiny has decreed for us. We do not pretend to know what
that purpose is, only that we play a part in it. When that purpose is complete
we become one with the Universe.”

“Some of our religions teach something like that. Mostly it’s our
Eastern religions.”

They fell silent, Kaesah seeing the glint of Toni’s eyes in the
subdued light as they considered her.

“Are you typical of your species?” Toni asked.

“In what way do you mean?”

“Well, I saw a few NaQwins in the nature programs you selected for
me, and they looked similar to you in appearance, hair color, body type. I
wondered if NaQwins have a lot of variations like humans do?”

“I am a typical representative of my species, yes. There are minor
variations. Some have wavy hair and our skin tones vary from light brown to
dark brown. Light brown eyes occur, and green eyes, but they are not common.
Blue eyes are extremely rare. I have never seen a NaQwin with blue eyes, though
they do exist.”

“I would have trouble blending in then?”

“You would be conspicuous. You are taller than the majority of us
and sturdier built. Your skin tone is much lighter than ours. Your hair color
would set you apart as would your blue eyes. No one would mistake you for a
NaQwin.”

“By NaQwin standards, I’d be unattractive, I guess?”

“Quite the opposite. Many of my people would find
you exotic and attractive. You are pleasing to gaze upon.” She started,
dismayed that she had remarked on Toni’s appearance. When NaQwins commented on
how attractive a person was soon after meeting them, it often indicated an
interest in a sexual liaison, or a wish to explore the possibility of a
relationship. Not long ago, Toni’s physical appearance had held no appeal because she was not NaQwin. She had known many
people who did not appeal to her physically when first introduced, but once
perceiving the goodness and beauty within them, they became attractive in a
physical way. NaQwins referred to this as seeing with the eyes of the soul.
Though Toni was not NaQwin, she exuded goodness of soul and the strength of an
honorable person. Kaesah realized that she was beginning to see Toni with the
eyes of her soul.

“I think you’re attractive too.” The glint of
Toni’s teeth shown in the subdued light, indicating her wide grin.

Kaesah stilled. Was Toni interested in her sexually? Or was this
comment nothing more than a cultural display of good manners of returning a
positive comment with one equally positive? Her stay on Urtye was not long
enough to familiarize herself with all the cultural nuances.

“Thank you.” She lay on her back and tried to divert the course of
her thoughts to what she needed to do in preparation for Toni’s initial link
with the Myr. After a few minutes, she heard Toni’s peaceful breathing in
slumber, the sound of it lulling, and she too sank into sleep.

Chapter Ten

Mild tremors beset Toni as she sat in the chair and stared at
flashes of rainbow hued electricity that surrounded her. One deep inhale of
breath chased another as she attempted to steady her nerves and the quivers in
her stomach. She wished she were in her office, sharing a box of donuts with
Mandy while hearing the latest mundane activities of her life. A touch on her
knee brought her attention to Kaesah who knelt in front of her.

“I will monitor your physical condition and break the link if a
problem occurs. Trust me.” Kaesah showed her the cell phone size monitor.

Toni’s mouth went dry and her heartbeat thundered in her ears. Did
she trust Kaesah? The question was moot. She was committed. “I’m ready,” came
out in a raspy croak.

“I am going to open up the right arm panel. You will see swirling
light inside the arm from a portion of the Myr’s filament. Insert your hand
inside the light. The sensation you feel will be as if you were immersing into
a cool gel. This is the Myr’s outer skin that keeps in its superheated plasma.
You will hear the Myr sing in your mind. It will seem as if objects and
surroundings are fractured. I will shine a blue light into your eyes.” She held
up what looked like a penlight. “You are to take your hand from the opening.
This will break Merge. In the future, the omni-unit will strobe blue light into
your eyes when we reach our destination as a signal to remove your hand. Do you
understand?”

“Yes.” Toni forced the word out of a throat constricted by
nervousness.

Kaesah cupped Toni’s left cheek, her expression sincere. “You have
much courage and a good soul. My gratitude is beyond words.”

A timid smile was Toni’s acknowledgement as apprehension made her
tongue thick, rendering her unable to speak. Kaesah stood and pressed a symbol
on the chair’s side. The arm top slid back to expose swirling electrical
currents.

For a second, Toni froze. She sucked in a deep breath, her voice
firm. “Do it.” She plunged her hand into the opening.

The sensation of viscous cool surrounded her hand as a distant
sound of wind moved through her mind, pulling her toward it as if she were a
feather. The sound grew stronger and became an angel choir of thousands of
voices that blended and converged into a harmonious flow taking her on a
current of rapture beyond anything she had ever experienced. This was the pure
love of God. The bliss mystics and dreamers strived for.

Her vision was as if she peered through a kaleidoscope. The room
broke into pieces of colors with textures, scents, and flavors. She lived in
that perfect moment of totality with infinity, with nothingness, with all.
There was no reference point to tell her if she existed here for a second, a
minute, or million years, or if she existed at all. It didn’t matter. She was
one with the divine. She was the divine.

The abrupt brilliance of a blue nova exploded in her mind,
plunging her into the present. She slid her hand out of eternity and away from
the divine. Stunned, she tried to focus and interpret what she had experienced.

“Toni?” The voice penetrated her consciousness, centering her.

Toni surveyed the questioning, concerned features. “I—I can find
no words to describe what I experienced. Wondrous.”

A knowing and radiant smile graced Kaesah’s face. She too had
touched the divine. “You have heard the ‘Song of Creation’. You are blessed—my
Anchor.”

Chapter Eleven

“I’ve told you a little about my childhood, now it’s your turn.”
Toni reclined beside Kaesah on a blanket under the low branches of a troe tree
located in the back of the garden. She reached into a basket, removed a
peach-sized yellow troe, and chomped into it, savoring its mango flavor. This
was the second day after her Merge with the Myr. Medical scans had shown all
went well, though she felt fatigued. In four days Deep Merge would occur.

“My home is in the coastal city of Nyjan in the island state of
Ulaka, which is in my planet’s southern hemisphere. My wana…womb mother, Rije
arranges services from our government for our district. My wanu, donor mother,
Zun is a master shipwright. I also am an only child.” Humor shaded her tone
when she continued. “I think that may be because I was stubborn and always
meddlesome.”

Toni rolled onto her side, propping on her elbow to face Kaesah.
“So, you were an obstinate little brat as a child. I bet you were spoiled
rotten.”

“I do not know the definition of this word brat.” Kaesah
frowned. “I infer the word is a derogatory one for a child. A
contrary and spoiled child.”

“That’s the usual definition.” Toni got the impression Kaesah
might have believed her teasing an insult. “I’m sure if you ask my parents, I
was a brat at times.”

“I will not deny I kept my mothers busy in their attempt to
control my exuberance. My mothers did not spoil or coddle me. Nor did they
indulge me with fripperies or playthings. I did extra chores for luxury items I
wanted, and saved my credits to purchase them.”

“I’m all for that. Do NaQwin teens…I mean adolescents have the
same problems as ones in America have?”

“We mature slower than you humans. We usually do not enter puberty
until we are at least seventeen of your years. Like with humans, puberty is a
time of confusion and rebellion. It is also a time of sexual experimentation
within one’s peer group.” Kaesah put a hand over her mouth and giggled.
“Mothers cannot keep their daughters confined in their rooms. My mothers chose
not to comment on my private life other than to say if I had any questions to
ask them. Like most adolescents, I thought I knew it all.”

“Hmmm. That’s typical of a lot of
American teenagers.” Toni always felt uncomfortable discussing sex, but her
curiosity won out. “Did you have lots of girlfriends and…ah…experiences?”

Kaesah sat up and eyed her suspiciously. “You are inquiring if I slept
around. I am familiar with the euphemism. Though I do not know what you
would consider an excessive amount of experience. We tend to look askance at
simultaneous relationships that have a sexual facet. Unless it is within a
polygamous bonded one. During my adolescence, I had three special friendships
that included sexual interactions. Of course, these friendships were not
simultaneous.”

Toni couldn’t resist her flippant comment. “Of course, heaven
forbid anyone should think you’re a player.” Toni wondered how many special
friendships Kaesah had after her adolescent years. A lot, she
bet, but no way would she ask.

“You are being facetious,” Kaesah said with a huff.

“I’m sorry.” Toni sat up. “That’s a fault of mine. My teasing
sometimes crosses the line. It’s something I’ve always had to work on.”

“I do not sense any antipathy in your teasing. I am one who
perceives insults easily. As you humans say, ‘I should cultivate a dense
skin’.”

Toni squelched her chuckle, but couldn’t stop her grin.

“What is a player?” Kaesah asked.

“One definition of a player is a person who has many girlfriends,
or boyfriends, at one time. Er…that’s ‘friends’ in the sexual way.”

“Then I was not a player. How many girlfriends did you have? Were
you a player?”

“I was hardly that. I dated a boy in high school as it was the
expected thing to do, but we were never sexual. I knew I was a lesbian when I
was sixteen, but was afraid to tell anyone because of the homophobia in my home
and school. When I met Lisa, I came out to my parents…told them I was a
lesbian.” She gave a sharp, wry laugh. “I should have known better, but I was
tired of hiding the truth. They disowned me, which didn’t surprise me. Good
thing I had college scholarships and didn’t need to depend on them for
support.”

“Disowned you?” Kaesah’s tone held a note of puzzlement.

“Yeah, to them, homosexuals are in the same league as murderers.
My parents’ religion thinks it’s a sin. They don’t want any contact with me
until I decide to be straight…that is heterosexual…and come back to Jesus.
That’s not happening.”

“How sad that love for a child
is based solely on a parent’s expectations.”

Toni didn’t want to dwell on that painful part of her life. “At
what age do NaQwins reach adulthood?”

“When we are twenty-five of your
years old.”

“Twenty-five? That’s a heck of a long time to
be stuck in puberty.”

“Puberty lasts until we are approximately twenty-two of your
years. We are not considered adults by our society until we are twenty-five.”

“It’s eighteen in Georgia. How about education?”

“Parents are responsible for the early education of their children
until the child reaches nine years of age, and then they are educated formally
in a peer group. Mandatory education continues until we are twenty-two.”

“When you say educated formally with peers, you mean in a
classroom and not with your brain hooked to the omni-unit?”

“It is important for children to socialize with their peers.
Traditional methods of education in classrooms, by teachers, are preferred for
all ages. Those who have experienced life’s lessons are the best teachers, and
technology cannot teach the wisdom they impart. Linking your mind with a
bio-omni-unit to learn is prohibited except in instances when information must
be acquired quickly. Then our government will grant permission. The other
exception is for those who are on a mission away from our home planet, because
sometimes there is a need to assimilate knowledge rapidly.”

“Like when you learned English?”

“That is a good example.”

“Since you’re a geneticist, I take it you went to college after
your required education?”

“When our required education is complete, we serve a mandatory
three year period in the military.” Kaesah’s expression showed repugnance.

“I get the impression that you didn’t care for the military.”

“I did not. The training is rigorous, physically exhausting, and
often violent. Those who stay in the military as a career serve aboard military
starships, or are assigned to outposts on our border. I believe the military
does act as a deterrent to any species that may have the intent to invade us.
Though, I think it is a distasteful necessity because of its aspect of
violence.”

“In other words, as we on Earth would say, it’s a necessary evil.”

“That observation is succinct. I will have to stash the term to
use in my vocabulary.”

Toni smiled at Kaesah’s apparent fondness for the word ‘stash’. “I
assume you attended college after the military?”

“Yes. I had the honor of being selected as a member of the
Genetics College. Membership lasts for life, and education ongoing. I am an
Associate Geneticist. I will not achieve the level of a Prime Geneticist, which
is the highest degree, until I am around a hundred of your years old.” Kaesah
smiled, a dimple erupting at each corner of her mouth that Toni found adorable.
“I will mentor you in genetics.”

“I don’t know much about genetics. I did take college biology, and
we touched on the topic. It’s an interesting science.”

“It would give me immense pleasure in being your Ulon.”

“Ulon?”

“Ulon is the name for a teacher who instructs beginners, the
Apprentice Geneticists.”

Toni thought it would be interesting to learn genetics. Her degree
was in history with a minor in art history. She ended up an insurance agent
since Lisa’s dream was to open her own agency.

“What does an apprentice do?” Toni asked.

“After learning basic genetics, an apprentice is trained to assist
in gathering samples from the field and preparing them for analysis.”

“They aren’t trained to kidnap beings out of their beds to gather
these samples, are they?”

Kaesah blinked, looking alarmed. Her eyes became somber and voice
quiet. “Customarily, we obtain samples from primitive animals. On rare
occasions, we gather samples from sentient beings. We try to use methods that
leave the subjects unaware they have been sampled, as Atimki and I did on
Urtye.”

Toni felt like a jerk. She knew Kaesah was feeling guilty about
abducting her. She wanted to please Kaesah. “I want you to be my Ulon.” She was
sincere.

Kaesah beamed. “I will teach you the important basics of genetics
before we reach NaQwi. Your title is now Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice Geneticist
and Anchor of Flowering Star.”

“I like it.” Her new title made her curious. “What’s that title
you used in front of your name when I first met you?”

“Rije Vos Zun Briel Kaesah is my full name. Rije is my womb mother
and Zun my other half gene donor mother. The word Vos means together with.
Briel means gave life to.”

“That’s nice. You honor both parents. Most humans take their
father’s surname.”

“If you prefer, we can use both of your parents’ names, as is the
NaQwin custom. We do not need to disclose that one parent is male.”

“Thanks, but I like Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni. It has a nice ring to
it.”

Their conversation earlier, on learning by omni-unit, brought
Toni’s attention to a subject she had been contemplating. “You know, I’m
interested in learning your language. Tomorrow, do you think you could show me
how to use that super-duper omni-unit to teach me?” Since linking with the Myr,
Toni thought linking with the omni-unit would be tame.

“I would be honored, Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice Geneticist
and Anchor of Flowering Star.”

Chapter Twelve

Rich soil slid through her fingers and with eyes closed, she
inhaled the aroma of home. Even the sterilization required to bring the soil
onboard ship did not remove its essence, that which made it a part of the
planet of her birth.

She gazed down the row she was tending to observe Toni plant kowo
seeds. Kaesah had suggested they do this activity to keep their minds from
pondering too much upon Deep Merge, which was to occur tomorrow.

This Urtyne, whom she now considered a friend, had greatness of
soul, and, despite her disdain for Toni’s species, Kaesah felt drawn to her.
She sensed the kindness that lay within Toni’s soul. Merge, she hoped, would bring
them more. The desire was strong within her to share with Toni the sacred vows
of Navigator and Anchor before they Merged. She
remembered reciting these ancient vows with Atimki. How they trembled when
declaring them to each other, already in love. How it sealed them as one, even
before Merge.

Would her Merge with Toni be a mockery? Having no other meaning
than to get home? Would Toni consider it solely as a contract, one she felt
coerced into? And when they shared their dreams and shared their souls, could
either walk away?

If she offered the vow to Toni and she accepted, what would it
symbolize to NaQwi? A new hope? A
new path?

She patted her hands together to remove soil, tucked a loose
strand of hair back behind her ear, straightened her ahjon, and stood. The
power this pledge held made her tremble. With hope, and a little apprehension,
she stepped toward Toni.

****

“Come, Toni.” Kaesah held out her hand to Toni, who knelt by the
prepared row of soil planting kowo seeds.

Toni stabbed the garden trowel into the soil, wiped her hands on
her pants, and grasped the offered hand, pulling herself up. Kaesah moved
closer, Toni detecting her faint alien scent, which was reminiscent of the sea.

An almost shy and wistful expression was on Kaesah’s face as she looked
into Toni’s eyes. “I wish to share with you the sacred vow of Navigator and
Anchor. An ancient vow, its beginnings lost in myth and time. The story goes
that the first Navigator, Sesa, and her Anchor, Talika, were first to share it.
We pledge to look after each other’s well-being. We will share our souls. You
would honor me if you accept my offer.”

Toni detected a faint tremor in the delicate hand she held. Seeing
hope and expectation in the dark eyes, Toni knew something profound lay in this
offer. If she accepted, what would it mean? A pledge of trust
and friendship? “It would be an honor.”

Kaesah’s expression glowed as she led Toni into the arboretum,
into a magical world lit by Earth glow that surrounded them.

They came to the pool’s edge and stopped. With her back to Toni,
Kaesah removed her clothing, and turned to her. “See me as I am, Toni. I come
to you as I was born, with nothing to hide. So in Merge shall it be. I will
come to you as I am, with nothing to hide.”

Toni didn’t avert her eyes, the sudden flush of embarrassment
vanquished by Kaesah’s words. This was more than baring
of flesh. This was baring of the soul. Toni couldn’t
help but move her eyes down the slender body, luminescent in Earthlight.
Kaesah’s breasts would barely fill her cupped palms. The waist was trim and the
hips had an attractive flare. Her inspection strayed to the pubis devoid of
hair, then to shapely legs. She brought her gaze back up, noticing the gold of
Kaesah’s ahjon and her raven-black hair reflect the light in a blue glow.
Kaesah was a creature of myth, a sylph, whose home was here in this fairy tale
forest under Earthlight.

The sincerity expressed in Kaesah’s face overcame Toni’s shyness
and modesty. She removed her clothes to stand facing Kaesah without embarrassment
or shame. “See me, Kaesah, as I was when I came into life, with nothing to
hide.” Kaesah’s looking was as a subtle touch, no intent other than to discover
the Toni that lay beneath the physical shell.

Kaesah proffered her right hand, palm up, Toni grasping it.

A tremor was in Kaesah’s voice. “We step into the water, ever
changing, ever flowing, from where life first sprang, a symbol of the Universe,
ever changing, ever flowing, where life and creation are ongoing.”

Kaesah led her into the pool where the silver water covered Toni’s
knees. Kaesah clasped Toni’s other hand, now holding both between them. She
searched Toni’s face, Toni feeling those eyes seeing into the essence of her
soul.

Gently, Kaesah squeezed Toni’s hands. “My oath I will say first. Then
I will say your oath, so you can repeat it. Toni, only do this if your soul
thinks it is right. Do not do this if you are unsure. Will you agree?”

“I agree.”

“Toni, I shall be your Navigator in our life together in Merge.”
Kaesah’s voice was solemn. “I promise, with my soul, never to lead you into
Void. Your dreaming shall be as my own. Toni, I invite you to share my soul.
Will you accept?” Kaesah’s eyes deepened to obsidian pools, awaiting Toni’s
response.

Toni swallowed hard. She stood on the edge of a precipice. Behind
her was everything she knew, life without Lisa, concerns of daily living, work,
just getting through the day. When she first woke in this ship, new perimeters
of her life were charted. Where they would lead, she couldn’t guess, but even
when she returned home, they wouldn’t lead her back to the old Toni.

For the first time, Toni believed Destiny was truly in control of
her life. This was not just a covenant with Kaesah. This was a covenant between
their two species, human and NaQwin. Step beyond fear, Toni. “Yes, I
accept.” Toni’s heart had spoken for her.

A look of joy infused Kaesah’s face before she became solemn.
“Your part I will speak, do you wish to continue?”

“I do.”

“Kaesah, I shall be your Anchor in our life together in Merge.”

“Kaesah, I shall be your Anchor in our life together in Merge.”
Toni’s voice wavered from emotion, but was sincere.

“I promise, with my soul, never to let you enter Void.”

Toni repeated the words, her throat constricting with the power of
this pledge.

“Your dreaming shall be as my own.”

“Your dreaming shall be as my own.”

Kaesah recited the vow’s final part, Toni not dropping her gaze as
she repeated, “Kaesah, I invite you to share my soul. Will you accept?”

“Cy, Toni.”

Earth glow reflected in Kaesah’s eyes, giving them the appearance
that light emanated from her soul. Their hands tightened, Kaesah’s smile one of
mystery and secrets Toni yearned to discover.

****

The aroma of tea wafted into her slumber. She opened sleepy eyes,
surprised to see Toni sitting next to her sleep mat. A shy smile accompanied
Toni’s offer of a steaming cup of tea.

She pushed herself up to sit, feeling the cover fall to her waist
and expose her naked torso. After the oath last night,
neither dressed when they retired. Toni was dressed, and her cheeks did
not pink from embarrassment at Kaesah’s nakedness. She returned Toni’s smile. “For me?”

“For you.” Toni handed her the tea. “I
hope it’s not too weak or too strong. I watched you make tea and I think I
remembered how many scoops you put in the infuser.”

Kaesah blew on the cup’s steamy surface before she sipped the hot
beverage. “The taste is good.” Toni doing this touched her. She recalled the
many times Atimki had prepared tea or something to eat, and woke Kaesah to
serve it to her. Kaesah had done the same for Atimki as an indication of her
love. For an instant, sadness seized her. With effort, she clamped the feeling
down.

Toni picked up her cup of tea from off the deck and took a drink.
She regarded Kaesah over the cup’s rim. “Big day, I guess?”

“Cy.” Kaesah could tell Toni was
nervous by her little fidgety movements. She tried to convey confidence in her
tone and words. “This will be a success. I believe Destiny has decreed this.”

“I’m starting to believe that. This can’t be chance.” Toni’s
expression became one of contemplation.

Kaesah knew Toni was searching inward for answers beyond chance.
Toni was searching for purpose. Toni would have to make this journey of
discovery on her own. Destiny would lead Toni, as it led Kaesah. Somehow,
Kaesah knew Destiny’s purpose for them was starting to unfold.

Kaesah swept aside one of Toni’s unruly locks from her forehead.
“Soon you will see magnificent sights you have never imagined. We will
celebrate your first Deep Merge under Jupiter’s light.”

It had been a while since Flowering Star flowed with music
and mirth. The final stage of Deep Merge would bring the birth of a new triad.
The ramifications of this triad would perhaps mark the birth of a new era for
NaQwi, and perhaps, for Urtye. It humbled her and filled her with hope for the
future. Yet, most of all, it exhilarated. Kaesah would
be whole again.

Chapter Thirteen

Flowering Star, powered by its sub-light-speed booster engine, slipped
behind Urtye’s moon where Kaesah hoped it would be out of detection range if
the Phlurx were monitoring space around Urtye. She doubted the soulless ones
were checking, since the omni-unit never picked up an indication from Phlurx
communications that they had detected Flowering Star’s arrival. Still, it
was prudent to be cautious when a ship leaped, as opening a wormhole, even for
an instant, could be detected. If the Phlurx discovered NaQwins were in the
vicinity of Urtye, it would make them curious as to why. Their curiosity could
lead them to meddle even more in Urtye’s affairs.

The omni-unit announced that all systems were prepared for leap.
With a quick glance, Kaesah saw the surrounding zigzag forks of lightning that
raced in the Myr’s interior of swirling amber with random colorful bursts.

Kaesah held Toni’s hands in hers and gazed into blue eyes, seeing
disquiet. Despite her fear, Toni was doing this. Toni had much honor and NaQwi
would learn of it because Kaesah would tell them.

“Toni,” she said fondly, pulling her right hand from Toni’s grip
to tuck a stray curl behind Toni’s ear, feeling great fondness for her. Toni
was worthy of Kaesah’s affection and so much more. Kaesah would try, not
because Atimki made her promise but because she wanted to. She thought she
would not have to try hard.

Toni did not reply, her eyes portraying uncertainty. Kaesah guided
her to the command chair where Toni sat in the Anchor’s seat, Kaesah sitting by
her left side.

Kaesah detached the transmitter disc from the Navigator’s armrest
and attached it to her left temple. A faint vibration in her head let her know
it was activated and ready to transfer the radio coordinates for Jupiter that
she would feed to the Myr. Her fingers pressed a symbol on the armrest and
another rest lowered from the back of the seat between them.

With her right hand, she clasped Toni’s left, entwined their
fingers, and brought Toni’s arm to the center rest where she fitted their
forearms together. She pressed another symbol to bring a six-inch shield from
the side of the middle rest to encircle their snugged forearms. This was to
keep them together during Deep Merge, to meld her Anchor’s mind to hers,
perhaps even meld them soul-to-soul to become one in so many ways.

She twisted her head, seeing Toni watch her with anxious eyes.
Tightening her grip on Toni’s hand, she poured trust into her gaze. “Anchor, I
am ready.”

Toni reached for the side of her armrest and pressed the correct
symbol. Kaesah saw the panel open to expose the glow from the Myr’s filament.
She heard Toni inhale before plunging her hand into the light.

The ‘Song of Creation’ sang in Kaesah’s mind as she entered a
tunnel of rainbow-colored lights that flowed in a twisting river. She rode the
current, becoming a chord in the song, now her whole existence. She was no
longer Kaesah, but became more as she stepped out of time and into infinity,
tracking an insistent signal blending its voice into creation and sang of its
birth and destiny.

In a blink, the song was gone, the vision ended, Toni’s hand still
entwined with hers. She breathed deep as she reveled in the awe and emotions of
her Anchor. Kaesah laughed with joy. She was whole once again.

****

Deep Merge, and the shock that resulted from experiencing Kaesah’s
emotions, had drained Toni, leaving tautness at her temples, which indicated a
headache was trying its best to erupt. Kaesah had prepared a sedative tea and
put her to bed to rest. She rolled onto her side to face the wall, drifting
into sleep.

The pad of quiet footsteps brushed the edge of her consciousness. Kaesah. She felt the mat jostle and an arm encircle
her waist as warm softness pressed along the back of her body. Contentment
along with joy infused her, and she knew she had immersed into Kaesah’s
emotions. She pressed the delicate hand to her stomach, feeling protected as
sleep claimed her.

Sometime later, she awoke to music, of subdued drums, flutes,
stringed instruments, and singing. She rolled onto her back and listened to
Kaesah’s pleasant soprano voice. The subtle wisp of Kaesah’s joy enfolded her.

A trickle of worry made her wonder if she’d regret Merge. For now,
the happiness Kaesah shared was pleasurable. But what of future emotions they
would share? Would she grow accustomed to experiencing Kaesah’s emotions and
knowing Kaesah experienced hers? This ability was something she needed to
accept whether she liked it or not. She guessed if it became too much, she
could go to another part of the ship for a while to escape their empathic
range.

Kaesah’s voice started to fade, Toni thinking she had been by the
pool and had now moved to the galley.

Toni headed to the ultrasonic shower to make herself
presentable. After her shower, she walked toward the galley to find Kaesah. She
was but a yard or two out of the ablution room when the arboretum darkened and
a glow from above drew her eyes up, bringing her to a halt at the wondrous
spectacle above.

“Oh, my god.”

The ceiling was transparent. Jupiter in all its
splendor loomed gigantic and bright above the treetops. Toni marveled at the
planet’s cloud bands of orange, white, and light tans. She focused on the Great
Red Spot with its swirl of clouds. The sight of Jupiter this close and live was
a far cry from the projection in front of the command chair when they had
arrived.

“Magnificent, is it not?” Kaesah strode up to Toni.

Toni slid her eyes away from the planet to rest on Kaesah, taking
in her bright smile, and features that seemed to glow. Yellow and blue flowers
picked from the arboretum and woven into a circlet adorned Kaesah’s head. She
wore a satiny, yellow shirt with puffy sleeves. Over the shirt was a blue vest
embroidered with curlicues in gold thread. Her pants were of the same material
and color as the shirt and bloused around the tops of her black ebebs. Toni
thought she looked like an Arabian princess.

Kaesah positioned a flowery circlet on top of Toni’s head. “Now,
my Anchor, we will celebrate your first Deep Merge.” Taking Toni’s hand, she
guided her toward the pool. “I have special items of food I have prepared for
you. I hope you find them to your liking.”

Sharing Kaesah’s happiness made Toni giddy. “Hey, everything
you’ve ever prepared for me tasted good, and I’m sure I’ll like anything you
fix.”

The sound of Kaesah’s laugh sent delightful shivers down Toni’s
spine.

“Toni, truth. You do not like qusil.”

“Noticed that, did you?”

“When served, you select the smallest one, taste a tiny bite and
contort your face in dislike. You will be happy to know that no qusil has been
prepared.”

Toni grinned with delight when she saw the laden table with
colorful cushions surrounding it. There were floor sconces with lighted candles
scattered in the area. The pool held a flotilla of a dozen boat-shaped bowls
that flickered with flames of yellow, blue, red, and green.

“Wow. Super nice.”

“I wanted this to be special for you.”

“Believe me, it’s special.” Toni beamed. The emotion of delight
from Kaesah brought pleasure to Toni.

Kaesah gestured toward the table. “Come. Sit. Let me serve you and
you tell me what you think of NaQwi Nali delicacies.”

Toni sat in her usual spot, surveying the tabletop covered by
platters of what looked like hors d’oeuvres arranged in decorative patterns.
She inhaled delicious scents, which triggered her stomach to growl.

Kaesah sat beside her, picked up a pitcher, and filled a ceramic
tumbler with a tawny liquid. Toni got a whiff of a beery odor.

Kaesah handed her the tumbler. “Gheet, similar
to your beer, though the alcohol content is two percent.”

Toni liked the earthy flavor of it. “Umm, good.”

Next, Kaesah held a cracker to Toni’s mouth. “Taste this.”

Toni bit it in half, enjoying the cracker’s salty tang and the
cheesy flavored spread. She eagerly ate the rest. “Delicious. What is it?”

“Seaweed crackers with sul spread. The spread is made from
pulverized nuts of sul trees, which grow on my planet.”

Kaesah fed Toni many more items by hand while she explained what
the ingredients were. With Kaesah waiting on her like this and the way she was
dressed, Toni imagined she was an Arabian Sultana, whose favorite harem girl
was spoiling her. The main thing needed to complete her fantasy was for her
harem girl to entertain her.

A large, puffy cushion rested next to Toni and she reclined on it
with her legs stretched out. She gazed up at Kaesah, who was sitting beside
her. “What was that song you were singing earlier?”

“Forgive. Did I wake you?”

“I was already waking up. You have a very pretty singing voice.”

“Thank you.”

Toni sensed Kaesah’s pleasure at the praise, but also
embarrassment, which made her feel uncomfortable. She didn’t doubt that Kaesah
picked up her uneasiness. Probably the customary thing for a Merged
pair to do was to ignore the minor emotions they sensed from the other. She
could go along with that.

“What’s the song about?”

“The song is an old love song called ‘Daughter of the Boundless
Sea’.”

“Will you sing it for me?”

“If you wish, I shall sing it in English.” Kaesah’s smile was one
of those dimpled ones Toni found so captivating.

“I’d like that.”

Lifting her head, Kaesah spoke in NaQwin. The instrumental song
immediately filled the arboretum. She straightened her posture, and sang.

She wades out of the calm sea shoal

Her hair bejeweled with stars

O daughter of the boundless sea

Come sweep me from my dream shore

Entwine me within your warm arms

Embrace me within your soul’s depths

Our bed the white beach sand

Our blanket the purple heavens

In my arms she ebbs and flows

My kisses fall like raindrops

I am the storm upon her waters

Bringing forth untamed waves

In my arms her passion splinters

The shards glitter in her eyes

Blazing in their radiance

Little sisters to the stars

In her arms I breathe life

My eyes behold the first dawn

Her face is the morning sun

Her smile is love’s pledge

Harbor within my soul, beloved

Harbor within my soul

The last chords faded, leaving a golden hush born from the touch
of magic, beauty, and melancholy.

“That was beautiful,” Toni said quietly.

Kaesah smiled wistfully. Toni gave a wistful one of her own while
knowing the sadness they shared flowed from their losses.

“I am glad the song pleased you.”

“It pleased me a lot.”

Happiness arose as Kaesah’s melancholy faded into the background,
Toni feeling the emotion. Toni knew she was headed for trouble when she
thought, and the singer pleased me too.

Chapter Fourteen

Toni pulled off her sleep shirt, about to get into the ultrasonic
shower. Suddenly, lights flickered and the omni-unit blared out a phrase in
NaQwin, followed by an intermittent buzzing.

Instantly, Toni picked up Kaesah’s distress, which triggered her
own. “What the hell?” The words were no sooner out of her mouth when Kaesah
appeared in the entryway.

“Hurry. We must leap.”

“What’s going on?” Toni didn’t attempt to cover her nudity,
thinking this was no time for modesty.

“Hurry!” Kaesah pivoted and was gone.

Toni rapidly pulled on her sleep shirt and dashed out of the room.
She rushed onto the bridge where she found Kaesah already seated with
transmitter on her temple and middle armrest lowered. Toni had barely flung
herself into the seat when Kaesah grabbed her hand, pulled her arm to the
middle armrest, entwined their fingers, not activating the arm shield.

“Now, Toni, Deep Merge, now!”

Toni’s hand swiftly found the symbol and opened the panel,
plunging her hand into coolness. The ‘Song of Creation’ filled her, whisking
away all concerns on the voices of angels, only this moment existing in
eternity.

Rude strobes of blue light hit her eyes, and she jerked her hand
away from the Myr. The lack of sound and her eyesight going back to normal
stunned her.

A squeezing of her hand let her know Kaesah too was snatched from
Deep Merge. She sensed uncertainty from Kaesah, which increased her own alarm.

Kaesah spoke in NaQwin and the omni-unit answered. A rush of
relief emanating from Kaesah swept through Toni.

“What happened? Where are we?” Toni asked.

“On the edge of a stellar
nursery.”

Kaesah spoke in NaQwin and an image appeared in front of them.

“Wow.” Toni gaped in awe at the green and violet, elongated cloud.

“In hundreds of thousands of years this will birth stars. In its
current state it is rich in hydrogen.”

Toni rubbed her temples in an attempt to relieve the tension that
heralded a headache. “Tell me why we leaped.”

“The ship’s sensors detected an extra-dimensional rift
developing.”

“Was it the Phlurx?”

“That would be my first guess. The sensors are able to detect a
rift as it forms. It is fortunate the rift did not open on the other side of
Jupiter, as the sensors would not have detected it. I am confident the Phlurx
did not emerge in time to detect us.” She paused. “I am at fault. I should have
ordered the omni-unit to cloak us as soon as we arrived at Jupiter. Not
cloaking in your solar system is dangerous.”

“Couldn’t you have ordered the omni-unit to do that as soon as the
rift was detected?”

“It takes several minutes for the ship to totally cloak. I feared
the Phlurx would have emerged from the rift before the ship could fully cloak.
Also, before the Myr leaps, Flowering Star must uncloak, and could be
detected if we stayed and the Phlurx remained in our vicinity.” She spoke in
NaQwin. “I have ordered the ship cloaked. Although I think the Phlurx would
have no reason to be at this location.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s better to be safe than sorry. Why would the
Phlurx want to go to Jupiter anyway?”

Kaesah shrugged. “Who knows what reasoning is in the minds of the
soulless ones.”

“Ah.” A lance of pain shot through Toni’s head that caused her to
wince.

Kaesah noticed, or felt, her distress. “You will rest. I will
prepare you vertu extract for your headache.”

“How long were we in Deep Merge?”

“Four and a half hours.” Kaesah raised the armrest and held Toni’s
hand while she led her to the sleep room. Toni lay on the mat, closing her eyes
as Kaesah went to get medication.

Kaesah came in and knelt by her, Toni sitting up to take the cup
handed to her.

“Drink it all,” Kaesah said.

In one gulp, Toni downed the drink, the astringent taste making
her shudder. “Ugh. Yuck. Nasty.” She snatched the tumbler of water Kaesah held
out to her and quaffed it down, then flopped back onto her pillow and squinted
up at Kaesah. “These headaches will get better, won’t they?”

“They should. This was a lengthy leap and you had not recovered
from your first leap. We will not leap again for eight days.” Their plan had
been to rest for six days after arriving at Jupiter, but the Phlurx had cut that
down to two.

“Where are we leaping to next?” Toni stretched her legs out and
slipped a hand beneath her head, feeling her headache fade.

“A binary star system. The leap will last for three
hours.”

“Wow. An up close and personal astronomy class.” Toni frowned.
“The Phlurx won’t drop in for a visit, I hope.”

“No need to fret. Nothing will be there to interest them.”

“You told me about the Phlurx and why they are on Earth. I think
it had to do with human DNA they need for their survival.”

“It is said they were created eons ago by another species as
slaves. They are sexless and must clone themselves to perpetuate their species.
This has resulted in a breakdown of their DNA over the eons and is the reason
they seek to hybridize with humans. The few resulting hybrids are reported to
be sterile and short lived.”

Talk of Phlurx/human hybrids revolted Toni. “That creeps me out. Big time creeps me
out.” She shuddered. “Why humans?”

“Again, who knows what reasoning is in the minds of the soulless
ones.”

Toni fluffed her pillow. “If they’re anything like the artist
renderings I’ve seen, and the special effects ones in movies, then they’re
creepy, creepy, creepy. Ugh.” She shivered as the
image of a big-headed, big-eyed, gray being with long, skinny arms and legs
popped up in her mind.

“Truth. The soulless ones are indeed
like the renderings, and they also creep me
out.”

“Have you ever seen one up close and personal?”

Kaesah grimaced. “I have seen pictures and videos. I hope to never
encounter one of the soulless ones.”

“Same here.” Toni’s headache was almost
gone, but she still felt drained. She shut her eyes.

After a moment, Toni heard Kaesah say, “You did well, my Anchor. I
am proud of you.”

Toni felt the sincerity in Kaesah’s words. It made her happy
knowing she made Kaesah proud.

Chapter Fifteen

Kaesah analyzed the diagnostic scanner’s display of physical data,
astonished by what it revealed. It had been two weeks since Deep Merge and Toni
showed physical changes. Atimki was correct when she predicted the NaQwin genes
in Urtynes would change and modify body systems when Deep Merge was performed.

“Whoa,” Toni exclaimed, diverting Kaesah’s attention from the
data. Toni continued. “I felt that—surprise from you?”

Kaesah grabbed a portable medical monitor from a nearby tray and
took her own readings, adjusting the monitor to display results on the wall
next to Toni’s. She superimposed the two. Toni’s brain waves were almost in
synchronization with hers. There were also changes in Toni’s endocrine system,
which were now similar to those of NaQwins. Kaesah turned off the diagnostic
scanner, the light that surrounded Toni disappearing.

“Can I get up?” Toni asked.

“Yes.”

Toni sat on the edge of the examination table. “What’s the
verdict, Doc? Will I live?” The right corner of her mouth twitched up in a
crooked smile.

“You will live. Scans show there are changes in your brain waves
and endocrine system.”

“What do you mean?”

“The alterations of your brainwaves and endocrine system appear to
be similar to that of a NaQwin’s. To be more precise, those
of mine.”

“I don’t feel any different, except for a bit of fatigue from Deep
Merge. How can they change like that?”

“Atimki believed Deep Merge in a human with NaQwin genes would
activate them and cause changes in some of her body systems, making them more
NaQwin. Synchronization of body systems occurs in Merged
pairs. My body systems appear to be the template your changes are adhering to.”

Toni stroked her chin. “I understand what you’re saying, but will
my body systems and organs be able to adapt to these changes without damage?”

“I believe they will sustain no damage. NaQwins and humans are
similar in organ structure and function. I think the main changes will be in
your endocrine and hormonal systems. Also, the NaQwin DNA in your system has a
slower breakage rate over time than your human DNA. I think they will enhance
the ability of your DNA to divide with less breaking when replacing cells.”

“Are there any benefits to me with these changes?”

“You will age slower and live longer.” Kaesah used all her will
power to keep her consternation at bay, not wanting Toni to sense it.

“I can live with that,” Toni said with a grin.

****

Toni was in the omni-center taking a NaQwin language lesson. She
repeated the NaQwin phrase for the third time to get the proper tonal
inflection. NaQwin was a tone language in that it used pitch variations to
change a word’s definition. That was the reason Kaesah spoke English with a
melodic timbre. Toni also noticed lack of contractions, which lent the NaQwin
language a more formal quality and explained the absence of contractions in the
English Kaesah spoke.

The growl of her stomach put a stop to her lessons, and she
removed the self-adhesive, nickel-sized disc from her left temple to disengage
the omni-unit link to her mind.

She wondered if Kaesah was also hungry. When one of them became
hungry, the other did too. This most likely had something to do with keeping
the same schedule.

Her thoughts about a schedule made her think of work and her
friends back on Earth. Homesickness assailed her with a pang. She had left
Earth six weeks ago. Her friends were worried, she was sure. Maybe even her
parents. Nothing she could do about that, but thrust it out of her mind. As she
exited the omni-center, her thoughts strayed to what foods were in the stasis
containers. She wanted to share the meal with Kaesah, who was probably still
deep in meditation by the pool.

Maybe she would jog around the gravity generator’s catwalk to pass
time until Kaesah finished her meditation. She took the elevator down to the
next deck and headed for her destination. A few feet past the infirmary, a
raised symbol on the wall caught her eye. Since the NaQwin language program was
for spoken words and not for script or symbols, she didn’t know what it meant.
She had watched Kaesah push symbols to open walls to rooms.

Two days ago, while Kaesah ran a routine check of systems, Toni
had ambled about in the arboretum for exercise when she saw a symbol on the
wall a few yards down from the sleep room. She pressed the symbol, and was
amazed when the wall dissolved to reveal another sleep room. When she saw the
room’s painted mural of a seascape and the bed with a headboard, she figured
this was the one Kaesah had probably shared with Atimki. Not wanting to intrude
in such an intimate space, she pressed the symbol again, the wall reappearing.
She had touched it, startled when her hand passed through it as if it were air,
which led her to the conclusion the wall was a three-dimensional projection.

Her fingertips now touched a solid wall and not a projection. She
pressed the symbol and stepped back as a portion of wall slid open. Cautiously,
she peeked into the room, finding it empty. She knew this was deceptive because
any number of instruments or items could pop out of the deck by one press of a
symbol or giving the correct command in NaQwin. The walls had none of the
pulsating lights beneath its surface, as did most of the other ones in Flowering
Star, save
for a section that emitted a blue glow a yard wide set about a yard off the
deck.

Approaching this area with caution, she noticed symbols on the
wall beside it. She debated on a quick press to the one next to the blue glow,
but hesitated with her finger a smidge away from it. Curiosity won out. Toni
pressed the symbol and watched as an area of wall opened to reveal blue light
as a container emerged. She sucked in a breath as her heart skipped a beat, her
eyes riveted on a casket-like container with clear sides and top, the body
within visible.

She fought to bring her panic under control. “Oh,
no.” Toni picked up a faint sense of alarm from Kaesah and realized they
were not out of empathic range as she thought they were. Kaesah’s emotions were
never sensed when she was alone in the omni-center, which was on the same deck
as the arboretum and around a hundred feet away. Then again, one didn’t have
strong emotional thoughts on a continuous basis. She was always aware of
Kaesah’s presence. This was not the same awareness that someone was in a room
or house with you, but much stronger.

A push on the symbol didn’t close the opening. Another harder push
still produced no results. Might as well wait and face the music. She
studied the woman within the container. Flowers of every color covered her. To
Toni, she looked like a sleeping queen from a fairy tale. Her black hair
blanketed her shoulders and a gold ahjon circled her head. Toni thought her
lovely, but the serenity of death would not animate her features to reveal her
true nature. So it had been with her Lisa. The body that had lain within the
casket at the funeral home for viewing didn’t seem like Lisa at all, but a pale
reflection, a doll, no character or life showing through the dead features.

“Atimki,” Toni whispered. This was Kaesah’s wife. The space in the
wall must be a stasis chamber. The way this body was carefully arranged and
adorned indicated that some sort of ritual observance was performed. She
thought of Kaesah grieving as she did this. It would have been hard for Kaesah
to touch and prepare her wife who would never say the words ‘I love you’. The
ache of sadness lodged in her chest, not just for Kaesah, but for herself, as
well.

Kaesah’s concern and alarm still washed over Toni. With a sigh of
resignation, she watched the room’s entryway, waiting for Kaesah to find her.

“What are you doing here?” It was not the anger of Kaesah’s words
that made her jump, but the emotion that hit Toni like a tsunami.

“I’m sorry.” She could say nothing in her defense.

Kaesah thrust her aside and swept her gaze over her deceased wife.
Toni detected Kaesah’s sadness before she pressed the symbol, keeping her hand
on it as the casket slid back into blue light, and the wall space seal.

Kaesah spun to face Toni, her features taut, anger and sadness
still felt, but not as acute. Toni squirmed, feeling guilty. “I had no right to
snoop and I apologize.”

The aura of anger from Kaesah faded. “No more meddling. In the
future, you will ask me about any sealed room. Is this not so, Toni?”

“I’ll do that.” She had to know and asked timidly, “Ah…Is that
Atimki?”

“Yes. I am taking her home.”

“She’s lovely.”

“She was as lovely in her soul.” Then Kaesah smiled faintly. “Let
us take a meal. Afterward we will attend to your lessons in genetics.”

Toni knew any further discussion of Atimki remained a closed
subject for now.

Later, they retired to the sleep room earlier than usual, both
tired. Toni believed it was from the strong emotions from earlier that day. She
lay in the twilight and thought about Atimki, wondering what sort of person she
was, and remembered the feeling of sadness from Kaesah when she gazed upon
Atimki’s body.

An ache gripped her heart as sadness seemed to cover her like a
pall and Lisa emerged from the mist of memories. She recalled endearing things
about her wife. There was the cowlick on the back of her head that no matter
how Lisa styled her hair or how much gel she used, would always go awry. Or how
Lisa, taller than her, would hug her and rest her chin on top of Toni’s head.
Then there was her smile, the right side of her mouth cocked at a higher angle.

“I want to share Atimki with you and who she was,” Kaesah said
from the gloom where she rested on a mat beside Toni’s. “Will you share your
Lisa with me?”

Sadness rippled out and surrounded them, but Toni knew sharing
would somehow help lay to rest their past as well as open their souls to know
each other more intimately. Was she ready?

“Yes. I would like to share.”

Chapter Sixteen

“Move your big fat ol’ hairy butt,” Toni said from behind Kaesah’s
avatar that had slowed as they ambled down a path in the virtual reality of a
fungus forest.

Five days ago, they had leaped to their current site, a charred
gray rogue planet with tumultuous pockets of volcanic lava flows that marred
its surface.

For entertainment, Kaesah had taught Toni a few NaQwin board games
along with a card game.

This was the first time they shared a holographic adventure. They
were sitting in the chairs in the omni-center with their minds linked to the
omni-unit, and taking a virtual stroll through a giant fungus forest located on
Mites, which was an inhabitable moon orbiting the gas giant Pasokal.

Their two avatars were bebums, a lumbering bearlike marsupial with
yellow fur and green stripes. Toni found it hard to believe a real fungus
forest such as this existed. There were toadstools, mushrooms, and lobed mounds
of fungus in various colors and sizes. Kaesah said she had visited once and
would take Toni on a tour of it after they reached NaQwi.

A giggle from Kaesah’s avatar was her acknowledgement.

“Move it, girly, or I’ll bite,” Toni warned as she snapped her
virtual teeth in the direction of the rotund rump of Kaesah’s avatar. She knew
Kaesah couldn’t feel a bite. The only senses engaged in the program were the
olfactory, auditory, and visual.

“Your teeth are not sharp,” was Kaesah’s amused retort as she
moved aside to allow Toni space to waddle up to her side.

It had taken instruction from Kaesah, and a trial in the
pre-program, before Toni was able to control the avatar with her direct
thoughts for walk, move left, move right, and stop. Now she didn’t have to
concentrate on doing these things.

Ahead, a cluster of purple toadstools stood around three feet high,
their tops sprinkled with yellow dots.

“Do not breathe,” Kaesah said.

“Why?” Toni drew in a breath and immediately gagged. “Pheew.” Toni loped down the path, trying not to inhale.

A laughing Kaesah lumbered after her and pulled up even. “I warned
you, did I not?” Kaesah sounded smug.

Toni shook her head vigorously to expel the virtual smell, which
also shook her virtual head. “Yuck. What died?”

“This fungus is one of many species that has the fragrance of
carrion.”

“You’re not kidding.” Thankfully, the smell rapidly disappeared.
“You take all of your dat…er…friends on the Valley of Death tour?” Toni almost
said ‘dates’. She experienced a twinge of embarrassment, and was sure Kaesah
felt it.

In the last week or so, Toni had grown past the stage of initial friendship
into deeper affection for Kaesah, an emotion she wanted to assign to the crush
category, afraid to allow it to become more. She sensed from Kaesah a deepening
affection. But Kaesah wasn’t human and Toni could be misconstruing the meaning.
For now, she had no intention of further exploration into this emotion.

“Only those I deem worthy of my friendship.”

Kaesah’s tone seemed mighty flirty to Toni. Nope. Cultural
difference is all.

Kaesah’s avatar scampered ahead, stopped, its head pointed up,
eyes fixed on something. Thinking it best to approach with caution, Toni warily
waddled up to Kaesah.

“Do not move,” Kaesah whispered. “Look up in the tall, purple
fungus right under its cap.”

The fungus was easy to spot, being the lone standout among a mass
of yellow lobed fungi. She tracked the stem up to the cap, locating a pale
green creature that clung to the cap’s underside with its four thin hands
attached to lanky arms and legs. Its round head rotated toward them, and two
huge, black oval eyes stared down from a flat face.

“Is it not precious?” Kaesah whispered into the ear of Toni’s
avatar.

Precious was the last thing Toni would call the ugly critter.
“Shave off its hair, paint the thing gray and you have a Phlurx.”

“Toni.” Kaesah’s tone seemed one of mock exasperation. “It looks
nothing like the soulless ones.” Kaesah snickered. “Perhaps if you removed its
hair it would favor one.”

“See there. What is it?”

“A primitive primate. I do not remember its name. I
can research it for you.”

Chalk up another quality she liked about Kaesah. She was patient
when explaining things, and seemed to take delight in teaching Toni. “No need
to do that. I’ll call it a Phlurxette.”

“You are cruel, Toni. From now on when I see this poor creature I
will see it as a hairless and gray soulless one.”

Toni tried to impart to her avatar the Cheshire cat grin she knew
was on her real face, but didn’t know if it also registered on the bebum’s
virtual face. “Oh well, what can I say, the truth hurts.” All of a sudden, a
growl of hunger emanated from her real stomach.

“Let us pause here, and take a meal,” Kaesah said.

“I can sure go for lunch.” Toni pulled the link from her temple,
seeing that Kaesah had done likewise. “Can we have those seaweed crackers with
that green spread?”

“Anything you desire that I can provide is yours.” Kaesah’s voice
and expression exuded a sensuality that flooded Toni’s body with the beginnings
of arousal. Toni froze, mortified at her response.

An expression of puzzlement appeared on Kaesah’s face, and she
glanced away. It was apparent to Toni that Kaesah picked up her discomfort.

Kaesah gazed back at Toni with a grin. She stood, clasped Toni’s
hand, and pulled her from the seat. “We two bebums need our nourishment to
resume our journey on another day.”

“Maybe we could eat a roasted Phlurxette for lunch.” Toni felt
relieved that Kaesah ignored her embarrassment.

“Toni, you are incorrigible.” Kaesah tried to look and sound
severe. She towed Toni after her as they exited the omni-center. The two
started jostling each other as children would.

Chapter Seventeen

Kaesah held her breath as Toni climbed onto a low branch of a troe
tree and then to a higher one. “Toni, please come down, you might injure
yourself. We will get a ladder from a storage room.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve climbed many a tree in my life.” Toni looked
down at Kaesah. “Hand me the pole.”

Kaesah handed up the seven-foot pole with its claw end.

Toni balanced with one hand on the trunk and hoisted the
lightweight pole up until it snagged a group of fruit. “Bombs
away.” Three troes plummeted to the ground where Kaesah picked them up,
placing them into a basket.

“Oops! Watch out.” Several more troes rained down.

“We have enough. Come down.”

“Here, take this.” Toni handed the pole down to Kaesah, who leaned
it against the trunk. Kaesah looked up, catching her breath when Toni sat on
the lower branch’s edge, then fell back, her legs now hooked around the limb.
Toni now dangled upside down with her blouse bunched below her breasts, her
midriff bare, and her hair hanging in loose ringlets.

“I’m a Phlurxette!”

Laughing, Kaesah stepped forward, almost eye-to-eye with Toni, and
stroked one of her curls. “You are not green and Phlurxettes do not have long
locks of hair on their heads.”

“If I hang upside down any longer I’ll turn purple instead of
green.”

“Your face is very red. You should come down.”

Toni pulled herself up to hang by her hands on the branch and then
dropped to land in a squat. She stood and faced Kaesah. “Any time you need a
Phlurxette to pick fruit, I’m at your service.”

“Next time, we use a ladder.” Kaesah gathered up fallen fruit,
placing them in the basket, and started to walk toward the arboretum, Toni by
her side.

“You’re no fun. Bet you never climbed a tree,” Toni said.

Kaesah looked askance at Toni and gave her a smug smile. “You
would lose your bet. I have climbed many trees before you were born.”

“Well then, we can’t have you climbing trees, Grandma. You might
fall and break one of your old and brittle bones.”

Kaesah snatched a troe from the basket and lobbed it against the
side of Toni’s head.

“Why you little…” Toni bent to pick the fruit up. Kaesah decided
to run rather than see what Toni had in mind.

“You can run, girly, but
you can’t hide,” Toni said from close behind her.

A warning signal screeched just as the ship seemed to shudder, the
omni-unit announcing, “Gawmyt swarm. Repellant procedure initiated. Three
gawmyts have penetrated into feed tube section.”

“Urrrg,” Kaesah growled angrily, placing the basket on the ground.
“Void swallow the vile ones.”

“What’s going on? What’s wrong with the ship?”

“Gawmyts—Myr parasites. Come. We must rid Flowering
Star of three that entered before they propagate.” Kaesah hurried through
the garden and into the arboretum.

“Parasites?” Toni asked as she caught up to
Kaesah.

Kaesah slowed her pace. “They feed on Myr plasma, weakening the
Myr, and cause irritation.”

“Like fleas on Earth’s dogs and cats, drinking their blood and
causing them to itch?”

“A good analogy. The shudder you felt was the
Myr’s speedy withdrawal of its feed tubes to inside the compartment due to a
‘bite’ from gawmyts. They entered the ship before the feed tube exit was
sealed.”

“What do they look like?”

“Their composition is of plasma, like Myrs. They are flat ovals,
approximately two feet long. They are translucent and difficult to see, except
in ultraviolent light. We eradicated most of them millennia ago. However,
gawmyts can survive without sustenance for thousands of years. In the distant
past, they spread to parts of the galaxy by attaching to a Myr when it leaps.
Occasionally, our ships encounter them. Once they feed, they propagate like
amoebae.”

They exited the arboretum and boarded the elevator. “Feed tube
compartment,” Kaesah ordered in NaQwin.

“Where are we going?” Toni asked.

“Down to the compartment containing the Myr feed tubes.”

“Then what?”

“We flush them out of the compartment and shoot them.” The
surprised look on Toni’s face made Kaesah smile.

“Shoot them? With what?”

They exited the elevator, now in a long corridor with gray walls,
no lights beneath the surface. Kaesah walked over to a darker gray area of wall
and pressed a symbol. Part of the wall opened to expose shelves holding various
weapons and equipment.

“Ray guns.” Toni almost elbowed Kaesah out
of the way to get a better look. “You have ray guns.”

“Step back, please.”

“Sorry.” Toni stepped back, peering over Kaesah’s shoulder.

One shelf contained palm-sized square packages Kaesah rummaged
through until she found what she wanted, then handed one to Toni. “This is a
suit that will help prevent burns if a gawmyt should attack you. I selected the
largest size. Put it on over your garments.”

“This doesn’t sound good.”

“We should remain safe, if you obey my instructions.”

“No problem. You’re boss.”

Kaesah donned the ultra-thin coppery jumpsuit, sealed it by
squeezing the front seam together. Wrists and ankles were elasticized at the
ends to fit snug. Stretchable gloves were slipped on, the bottoms fitting above
her wrist area. Her ebebs would protect the feet. She turned to Toni, helping
her seal the suit, relieved that it fit with only a little tightness.

Reaching back into the wall space, she removed a clear, round
helmet with a skirt of protective material to shroud the neck, and placed it on
Toni’s head.

“This has an oxygen generator which will last for one mot,” Kaesah
said as she pushed a small button at the neck that lit yellow to show
activation.

“I feel like my head’s inside a fishbowl.” Toni’s voice sounded
through the helmet’s communicator.

After putting on a helmet, Kaesah took from a shelf a silver
weapon with a long barrel. She pressed its activation button and handed it to
Toni.

“This is a particle pulse rifle. As you see, it is similar in
shape to your Urtye weapons. It produces a micro stream of particles to destroy
gawmyts. Aim through the scope on top of the barrel. When the target is lined
up, the scope will blink red, then you pull the
trigger. Have you any questions?”

“Piece of cake. I’ve plunked a few cans with an
air rifle.”

“If a gawmyt should latch onto you it will burn through your suit
in fifty seconds. Do not attempt to remove it. Inform me immediately, I will
hit it with the rifle’s stock end to knock it off.” Kaesah took a rifle and
demonstrated with a quick forward motion with stock first. “Come. We will
hunt.”

They jogged down the corridor until they came to a door, Kaesah
pressing a symbol on the wall to open it. The room they entered was small with
another door on the opposite wall. Speaking in NaQwin, Kaesah ordered,
“Omni-unit, initiate flush protocol.”

“Protocol initiated.”

“We are in an airlock,” Kaesah said to Toni. “The room we will
enter is airless to prevent oxygen from igniting from superheated plasma a
gawmyt releases when destroyed. Ultraviolent light will flood the room so that
they are visible.”

“What makes them enter the room?”

“Low electrical charged particles are pulsed into the feed tube
compartment and push them into the room.”

“Flush procedure complete,” the omni-unit announced.

“Stay near me,” Kaesah ordered Toni, as she pressed a symbol to
open the door. They entered a huge dark room, the door closing behind them. She
glanced around, seeing Toni’s suit and rifle glow in the ultraviolent light.
“Keep your back close to the door.”

Immediately, Kaesah saw three green glowing streaks of light
zooming about the room.

“How do we shoot them if they’re flying around this fast?” Toni
asked.

“They sporadically stop for a few seconds. Keep your eyes on just
one at a time.” Kaesah no sooner had the words out of her mouth when one paused
near the high ceiling. She aimed, shot, missing as it
swiftly resumed its flight straight toward her. Quickly, she ducked.

“That was close,” Toni said.

Kaesah fixed on a streak of green, waiting for it to stop.
Suddenly, a burst of light appeared to her upper left, sparks falling to the
deck.

“Ha! I got one, I got one!” Toni exclaimed gleefully.

The light burst had taken Kaesah’s eyes off her target. All at
once, she felt something hit her on her right thigh and a burning sensation
start. “Toni, one is on me.” She sensed Toni’s alarm, and stilled so the gawmyt
could be removed.

The force of Toni hitting the creature with the rifle stock
knocked Kaesah against the door. She heard Toni growl, then saw a burst of
light close to the deck.

“Die, sucka, die!” Toni shouted in
triumph. “Ahhh, one’s on my back, get it off!” Toni turned so her back was to
Kaesah.

With a snap of the stock on the creature, Kaesah stunned it. The
gawmyt fluttered to the deck where Kaesah placed the barrel end against it and
shot, a burst of bright sparks exploding outward.

The only sound heard for the next few seconds was their rapid
breathing. “Are you injured?” Kaesah asked, as she turned to Toni, able to see
her glowing suit, but not her face through the helmet.

“Nope. How about
you?”

“No injuries. We have eliminated them.” Kaesah pressed a
luminescent button next to the door to open it. They stepped into the airlock,
the door sliding shut behind them.

“Keep your helmet on until the airlock fills with oxygen,” Kaesah
said.

A few seconds later the omni-unit announced, “Oxygen level safe.”

“You may remove your helmet,” Kaesah said before removing hers.

Toni removed her helmet and then crunched up her nose. “Eww, I
smell something rotten.”

“It is the odor left from dried drops of gawmyts that landed on
our suits.”

Kaesah pushed a symbol to open the door to the corridor, both
women stepping through.

“Will the Myr be able to feed without those ‘fleas’
attacking it?”

“The Myr has replenished its energy.” Kaesah gave Toni an
appraising look. “We will leap in half a mot, if you have recovered enough from
our last one.”

“Never felt better.”

Kaesah gave Toni a pleased smile. “You did well, my Anchor.”

“That was fun.” Toni grinned. “Can we do it again sometime?”

A laugh burst from Kaesah. Their eyes met, Kaesah drowning in blue
as a surge of warmth flowed through her from Toni, making her pulse race and breath catch. No. She would not have to try hard, at all.

****

It had been three days since their last leap, which took them to a
brown dwarf star releasing enough hydrogen in solar winds to feed the Myr. Toni
lay on her back on an examination table surrounded by the light of the
diagnostic scanner.

“You show more biological changes,” Kaesah said. “Your hormonal
and endocrine systems are completely matched with mine.” Kaesah turned off the
diagnostic scanner.

“Yeah? Has my aging slowed down?” Toni
pushed herself up and perched on the table’s edge.

“Your aging has slowed, but to what degree cannot be determined
until we reach NaQwi where a more thorough exam can be done.”

“I guess the job of Anchor has a few fringe benefits.” She
inspected Kaesah quickly, hoping she would look as good when she hit her
fifties. “Anything else these changes will cause?”

“When was your last estrus cycle?”

“You mean menstrual cycle?”

“Yes.”

She had to think. Since Lisa died, she had been late a few times,
undoubtedly from stress. “Maybe close to a week before coming aboard. I know
I’m way past due. I’ve been here for over two months haven’t I?”

“Seventy days. I think your cycle will synchronize with mine.”

Toni detected uneasiness from Kaesah, which quickly disappeared.
She thinned her lips while pondering this information, then shrugged. “I don’t
see a problem unless your period lasts for months.”

“We do not menstruate, we absorb the endometrium, not shed it. For
NaQwins, our estrous occurs once a year and lasts for ten days.”

“That’s something I can live with. You don’t know what a pain in
the butt it is to bloat up like an ol’ toad every month, get cramps, and bleed.
Do you get bitchy around this time, PMS, or anything?”

“Explain this PMS.”

“PMS is premenstrual syndrome. Some human women have mood swings
and become irritable, often called bitchy. I don’t get PMS, but I can get a
little bitchy during my cycle.”

“I understand. We do not have PMS. We can experience irritability
for a few days when estrus occurs. I always find jeje tea calming at this
time.”

Toni wondered what other physical changes would occur. Ones having
to do with certain mature attributes she possessed and Kaesah seemed to lack.

“Er…listen, Kaesah, since I’m changing and all…I mean…ah…I noticed
you…ah…lack hair in certain places I don’t. Is that natural for your species,
or do you remove it?” Toni felt a rush of heat, but she wanted to know.

A smile played on Kaesah’s mouth. “Do not be embarrassed. Your
curiosity is natural. You refer to the hair growth human females obtain on
their mons pubis and under their arms when they enter pubescence?”

“Er…yeah.” The heat increased in Toni’s
face.

“NaQwins are hairless, except for that which grows on our head,
eyebrows, and eyelashes.”

Toni cringed a little when thinking about her now hairy legs and
armpits. Weeks ago, she had searched the cabinet in the ablution room for a
razor, but came up empty. Since the clothes she wore covered her legs and
armpits, being hairy wasn’t a concern to her, so she forgot about asking Kaesah
if she had a shaver or razor.

Kaesah went on to add, “I do not believe the changes in your
hormonal system will result in loss of hair for you. Nor do I believe your
breasts will reduce in size.”

“Breasts reduce?”

“Did you not notice my breasts are smaller than yours?”

“Well, yeah.” Once more, she felt a hot blush. “But I thought they
were smaller because a lot of women on Earth are small and some are large, you
know? I thought NaQwins would be the same.”

“For the majority of NaQwins our breasts would not reach your size
unless we are in the latter stages of pregnancy or nursing our young.”

“Oh.” Toni knew Kaesah sensed her discomfort, but she couldn’t control
it.

“I will answer any questions you have on the NaQwin estrus cycle,
or on our physiology.”

“Okay.” Toni thought of a few she hadn’t the nerve to ask that
were along prurient lines of interest. Geez, all this pubic hair and breasts
talk has me thinking sex.

“Our medical professionals and xenobiologists will be interested
in you. They will scrutinize my reports on your progress and physical changes
and might request you to allow them to examine you when we get to NaQwi.”

Toni squirmed as the image of a white lab rat came to mind.

Kaesah must have sensed her unease. “No harm will be done to you.
They may wish to question you and take blood samples.”

“I’ll do it if you’re there with me.”

“Of course I will be there with you. You are my Anchor. We are Merged.”

Chapter Eighteen

“Ahh!” Toni put her hands over her
eyes. A boisterous laugh sounded next to her, prompting her to declare, “You’re
out to kill us. You’re gonna hit one of those boulders and pulverize us to dust.”

“Lal’s security system will not allow that to happen,”
Kaesah said from where she sat in the pilot’s seat, Toni’s seat to the left.

They had arrived at a ringed, pea green gas giant yesterday. Today
Kaesah offered to take her for a ride in the scout ship. Toni jumped at the
chance. Who wouldn’t want to cruise and zoom around in an ultrafast spacecraft
and get a close-up tour of strange new worlds? The one aspect of this outing
Toni didn’t enjoy was the scenic route through the rings, which had them dodging boulders, many the size of mountains.

“I have moved us above the ring.”

Toni cocked an eye open, seeing the planet and its churning pea
soup of clouds with mustard colored strands. “Gross. That looks nasty, like I’m
not telling you what it reminds me of.”

“The color is that of decomposing fish entrails.”

Scrunching up her nose, Toni administered a playful slap to
Kaesah’s shoulder. “Or puke from eating rotten fish guts.”

Kaesah grimaced. She touched the control panel, and Lal
rotated.

“That’s better.” Toni viewed thousands of points of light in the
black. One bright star was twice as large as the rest. “Is that bright star
this system’s sun?”

“Yes. This planet is almost the same distance from this system’s
sun as Saturn is from Sol.”

“You know, to me, distance as lost its meaning. I can’t comprehend
a light-year or a light-second.”

“The concept is perplexing, even for me.”

She saw Kaesah observing her with half-lidded eyes, a faint smile
on her face, and knew Kaesah was up to no good. Toni lifted her eyebrows in
question as Kaesah pressed a lighted orange key on the control panel.

Toni had a funny sensation in her body, but couldn’t make out what
it was until she saw Kaesah’s hair floating about her face. “There’s no
gravity.” Toni felt space between her butt and the seat. The harness kept her
from floating away. She relaxed her hands and watched their weightless bob.

Kaesah swiveled her chair so she could face Toni. “If you wish, we
can remove our harnesses. You must be careful and not push out of your seat, or
you could propel into something and injure yourself.”

Toni wanted to do this, but was hesitant, wondering if she’d lose
control and float willy-nilly. “Is there a way to control the floating?”

“Wait. Turn your chair to face me.”

Toni did as instructed and observed as Kaesah pressed a button on
her seat’s armrest, which caused the harness over her shoulders to fold back
and the padded bar across her waist to retract. This freed Kaesah to maneuver
out of her seat and float a couple of feet above Toni.

“Disengage your harness. Do not move,” Kaesah ordered. Toni
readily unfastened the harness and Kaesah held out her hands. “Give me your
hands.”

After placing her hands in Kaesah’s outstretched ones, she was
pulled out of the seat until she faced Kaesah.

“This is something else. It feels weird, but freeing.”

Still holding Kaesah’s hands, she moved her arms straight out in
front of her, which pushed Kaesah back. Kaesah kept her grip on Toni’s hands
and jerked her forward. Unexpectedly, she found herself in a snug embrace,
Kaesah’s cheek against hers, the sudden momentum spinning them in a tight
circle like a top.

“Relax. I have you,” The warm breeze of Kaesah’s breath in Toni’s ear made a shiver chase down her spine.

Toni was very aware of the heat and softness of Kaesah’s body. A
strand of black hair whispered across her cheek, causing arousal to sweep
through her. She felt a strong surge of arousal from Kaesah that caused her to
stiffen. Surely, she was mistaken. Sex wasn’t an emotion like love or fear, was
it? It couldn’t be sensed through their link, could it? Nope. It was her own arousal, nothing more.

The spinning motion slowed and stopped. Toni felt lightheaded, not
from spinning, but from the press of their bodies.

“Trust me,” Kaesah said. “Relax and do not move until I tell you
to do otherwise.”

Kaesah’s breath in her ear made another delicious shiver race down
her spine. She forced herself to relax as Kaesah carefully disengaged from the
embrace and maneuvered to her seat. Kaesah engaged her harness and hauled Toni
down by a foot until she was able to grab her blouse, bringing her down to eye
level.

Toni avoided eye contact from embarrassment over her arousal.

“Do not move,” Kaesah instructed. “I will push you so you will
land in your seat.” A gentle shove from Kaesah propelled Toni into the seat
where she grabbed the armrests and settled in, hastily engaging her harness.

“I think I need more practice in zero gravity,” Toni said.

“We will do this again. Now that you have experienced
weightlessness, would you like to have the experience of piloting Lal
through the rings and back to Flowering Star?”

Toni’s laugh was one of relief. Relief that Kaesah’s actions
didn’t indicate she had noticed her arousal, and she had imagined Kaesah’s
arousal. “I’ll pass this time. I don’t want to put a dent in Lal. And
Kaesah, no more tag games with boulders.”

“On my honor I promise not to make you scream,” Kaesah said
solemnly, then smiled.

Toni returned the smile. Yeah. I bet you could make me
scream—all night long.

****

Desire hit her hard, awakening her to the scent of a ready woman
and the sound of a low moan from the mat where Toni lay. She moved her legs,
the inner thighs next to her crease sliding frictionless against each other
from wetness that seeped from her center. A sharp stab of arousal struck like a
lightning bolt low in her abdomen and left a throbbing ache between her legs.

Another moan sounded, Kaesah hearing Toni roll and restless
movements of legs. Was this Toni’s arousal that triggered hers? Or did her arousal
trigger Toni’s? She stilled with the thought, counting kazus in her mind. No.
Not for another kazu. Still, with the emotional turmoil since Atimki’s death
and acquiring an Anchor, it was possible. Then another thought occurred. Had
the sexual desire she felt from Toni and her own response when they were on Lal,
acted as a stimulus?

With haste, she left the sleep room and headed to the infirmary to
either confirm or deny her suspicions.

****

The mouth beneath hers was hot and inviting. Toni deepened the
kiss, her tongue prodding the lips to yield, to let her enter. The heady scent
of arousal drove her to hurry to assuage this deep ache in her groin. A
guttural cry urged her to thrust against warm fingers that stroked her clit.
She couldn’t, wouldn’t, hold back her release and with a sharp cry let it rush
out.

Kaesah!

Realization struck hard and jerked her from the dream, freezing
her body as it forced open her eyes. What the hell am I doing? She
willed herself to relax and then groaned as she picked up faint agitation from
Kaesah. That meant only one thing. Kaesah was aware of what had occurred.
Gradually, she released her breath, drew in another, this one even and deep.
Stealthily, she rolled over and peered through the dim light, seeing Kaesah’s
empty mat. Maybe Kaesah wasn’t in the room when Toni took care of matters. Then
why was Kaesah broadcasting unease?

She recalled past conversations with Kaesah that had involved the
topic of sex. One was a discussion of their adolescent years. Kaesah didn’t
seem uncomfortable when discussing sex and was the one who brought up the
topic. Could it be masturbation was taboo in Kaesah’s culture?

Why this sudden and intense sexual arousal? Since Lisa’s death,
she had felt no strong sexual urges. Then again, maybe her arousal wasn’t so
sudden when she remembered Kaesah’s embrace on Lal yesterday.

She tried not to focus on that, knowing Kaesah would pick up her
uneasiness. With a groan, she stirred herself enough to get up and head for the
ultrasonic shower.

After her shower, she went to the galley and prepared a cup of tea
along with a bowl of hot clum, mixing in sugar made from sap of trees grown on
Kaesah’s planet. Clum was one of the few food items that required the use of a
spoon and was as close as she could come to a breakfast food, its taste similar
to oatmeal. According to Kaesah, NaQwins didn’t designate particular foods for
breakfast or supper.

She filled a fingerbowl with water and put it on a tray with her
breakfast and four green, egg-shaped blukot fruits. She was about to leave when
Kaesah walked into the galley carrying a basket of fresh vegetables she had
gathered from the garden.

Kaesah startled when she saw Toni. “Morning greetings,” she said
weakly and gazed down.

“Good morning. Been up long?” Toni still sensed Kaesah’s
uneasiness, which increased her own.

“Not long.”

Toni detected an escalation in her aura of tenseness. “Can I get
you something to eat?”

“No. Go to the table, I will join you.”

“Okay.” Toni carried her food out to the table, sat at her customary
spot, and drank her tea. A resigned sigh hissed from Toni’s nose. What was done
was done. All the same, she was mortified.

Kaesah brought her breakfast to the table, Toni able to sense her
unrest. Kaesah glanced at her, not meeting her eyes. “I wish to forgo my
instructions to you in genetics today. We can resume lessons another time.”

“That’s fine with me.”

They ate their meal in a strained silence. Finally, Toni had
enough, wanting to tackle the problem head-on. “Mind telling me what’s the matter? I’m picking up uneasiness from you.”

Kaesah lifted her eyes to stare at Toni, her expression one of
distress. “I am going into estrus.”

This statement confounded Toni. This wasn’t what she expected to
hear. Why would a natural occurrence in most mammalian females upset her? “I
guess that means I will too. What are the signs I need to watch for?”

“There will be irritability, aching in the lower abdomen, soreness
of the breasts…” Kaesah hesitated, Toni sensing an increase in her discomfort.

Toni waited for Kaesah to continue. When she wasn’t forthcoming,
Toni decided to press for answers. “Out with it. I can tell that’s not all.”

“NaQwins become intensely sexual when in estrus.”

Toni considered this. Could that explain what happened this
morning? She lightly cleared her throat, feeling self-conscious. “Guess I’ll
exercise any tension off with a few rounds of the catwalk, since I can’t take a
cold shower.” She grinned. “Maybe the waterfall can substitute for a shower.”
Kaesah’s confused expression prompted her to explain. “A cold shower when
you’re aroused is supposed to lessen the sexual urge.”

“That does not seem an effective method.”

“I’ve never tried it. It’s just one of those stories that get
passed around that a lot of people believe.”

“I think I understand.”

Toni still sensed something was wrong. “Kaesah, what aren’t you
telling me?”

Kaesah wouldn’t meet her eyes, her voice sounding nervous.
“Because of Merge, when I become sexually excited, or when you are excited, we
will share it, feel it.”

Toni shook her head in confusion. “That happens only with
emotions, doesn’t it?”

“No, Toni. It also happens with our basic drives.”

“Is there a medication, or herb, we can take to control it?”

“There is no medication. The act of mating between a Merged pair alleviates symptoms.”

This stunned Toni, causing her mouth to open. It took her a couple
of seconds to get over her shock. “That’s not happening.”

“We do not have to act on this. There are ways both our species
practice to lessen symptoms of sexual arousal without involvement of another.
Pleasuring yourself is—”

Toni shot her hands up, palms out. “I know what you’re saying. You
don’t need to spell it out.” This peeved her. Kaesah mentioned none of this
when they first talked about Merge. Nor was it mentioned when they discussed
her hormonal changes and the good possibility she’d experience estrus as a
NaQwin would. “What do you plan to do? Make a schedule for the sleep room so we
can take turns masturbating? Or do you plan on us watching each other pleasuring
ourselves?”

“Toni!”

She sensed Kaesah’s shock, which satisfied her, as she was usually
the one who experienced that. “Don’t Toni me. Why didn’t you tell me this
earlier?”

“I did not think I would go into it this soon. I thought I had
time to prepare you—”

“Bullshit!” Toni angrily rubbed a hand through her hair. She
should have figured out more was happening with Merge. They grew hungry at the
same time and kept the same hours of sleep, but she had attributed that to
sharing a routine schedule. But this?

“I should have informed you when we first discussed estrus.
Forgive.”

“Forgive hell.” The intense arousal she experienced this
morning—was it her arousal or Kaesah’s? Whose orgasm was it anyway? Did they
share one? What the hell difference did it make? What else was Kaesah hiding
from her?

She clenched her jaw for a moment, and glared. “I’m tired of this
ignorance is bliss bullshit.”

“I feel your anger, and deserve it. I have acted without honor.”

Toni sensed Kaesah’s regret. She tried to quell her anger to a
manageable level. It wasn’t that this concerned sex. Well, maybe some of it
was. This was more about Kaesah treating her as she would a child. The two of
them needed to sit down to have a serious talk on not withholding information,
and every ramification of Merge.

Toni sighed in frustration. “I suppose we can live in different
parts of the ship until this passes. I can stay in the infirmary.”

“That is within our empathic range.”

She thought about this. Kaesah had picked up her alarm when Toni
discovered Atimki’s body in the mortuary room, which was on the same deck as
the infirmary. “How about the cargo bay? It’s on the
other end of the ship, about two hundred yards away.”

“The cargo bay might be within our empathic range.”

“Didn’t you tell me the range is a hundred feet or a hundred
yards?”

“For a newly Merged pair, yes, the range
during the first two or three weeks is limited. The longer a pair is Merged, the further the empathic range reaches. It has been
recorded up to two thousand miles in those who have been Merged
for years.” Kaesah paused. “A Merged pair always tries to stay within empathic
range. This is because—”

“What happens when we are out of empathic range?” Toni detected an
increase in Kaesah’s nervousness.

“A Merged pair will experience a sensation of incompleteness when
not in empathic range. There is also insomnia, lack of appetite, general
malaise. When a Merged pair has business apart that takes them out of empathic
range, they make it brief.”

Toni’s heart rate increased as a disturbing thought developed.
“How long does it take for these sensations to go away if a Merged
pair separates and are out of empathic range?”

“The insomnia, malaise, and loss of appetite dissipate in a few
days, but the feeling of incompleteness will remain. If the separation is
permanent, because of death or some other factor, these feelings go away when
you Merge with another.”

“When you say incompleteness, I’m not sure what you mean. Is it
like when your spouse dies?”

“Atimki’s death was a wound to my soul. That wound has healed, but
the scar remains. A part of my soul will always miss her. My link with Atimki
was severed approximately two months before she died. I felt empty. Toni, when
I Merged with you the emptiness went away.”

Iciness of dread seeped into Toni’s body and mind. The emptiness
Kaesah described scared her. She shot to her feet as an intense anger borne of
fear burst within her. “When you take me back to Earth, what then, Kaesah? I’m
left feeling empty for the rest of my life!”

Toni saw Kaesah flinch as if from a slap. Toni realized her anger
and despair had indeed dealt an almost physical blow.

Kaesah stood to face her. “I have no defense.” Kaesah’s tone was
meek, her voice shaky. “Perhaps you being human will not result in you reacting
the same way as a NaQwin. We do not know yet what separation will mean. It
might be nothing—”

“Nothing?” She couldn’t believe Kaesah
thought this, would dare say it. “I’m reacting as a NaQwin would to Merge. Some of my body systems have changed and are NaQwin.”

Kaesah closed the distance between them to put her hands on Toni’s
shoulders, only to have them angrily shrugged off. Toni stared down at her with
furious eyes.

“Toni, I care for you. I can sense that you care for me. I think
our feelings will grow. We can stay together. I will return to Urtye with you
to help pave the way for possible colonization by my people.”

Toni felt the sincerity of the words, but they didn’t stymie her
hurt and fear. “As friends? Do you truly want that,
Kaesah? We both have loved and have had love given to us. But we don’t love
each other. Not in that way. I can’t say I even like you anymore.” Her face
hardened as bitterness crept into her tone. “You lied to me. Lied
by omission. You stood in front of me, said you had nothing to hide. You
should’ve told me this before we Deep Merged.” The
distraught look Kaesah gave Toni didn’t quell her disdain, and she continued,
“I’m staying in the cargo bay. I don’t want you near me.”

Anger mixed with fear radiated from Toni as she stalked away and
left Kaesah devastated.

Chapter Nineteen

Kaesah walked through the illusion of a solid wall and entered the
sleep room she had shared with Atimki. Her glance took in the mural of a
tranquil seascape, the shimmer of light beneath its surface making the water
seem to ripple and sea life swim. She had ceased sleeping in this room since
Atimki’s death. When she had returned to Flowering Star to perform
various checks, she had slept in the sleep room now shared with Toni.

She breathed in this room, trying to capture her dead mate’s
fragrance. The only scent she detected was of a room not used in a while.
Nothing of Atimki remained, the bed linens changed kazus ago and Atimki’s
garments given to Toni.

The one bed built for two tugged her forward as a sliver of steel
to a magnet. She smoothed a palm on top of one of the carved headboard posts,
letting her fingers trail down a raised relief of a vine. Memory emerged of the
day she and Atimki went to the crafts’ market to select a headboard. She had
wanted the blue one with its spindled posts and simple lines. However, Atimki
had set her soul on this one in white dekat wood with its twined vine design
and the flower bud knob on the compartment in the headboard’s center. Atimki’s
choice prevailed, but only after she promised Kaesah would not soon forget
their first initiation of its use. She had kept that promise.

A sob loosened from deep within her aching chest. It was not only
the memory of that time with Atimki that drew forth the cry, but also because
of the ire and disappointment she sensed from Toni.

Toni was right when she said Kaesah had lied. Her dishonesty
debased the sacred vows of Navigator and Anchor. She should have been
forthright with Toni when discussing estrus, and not withheld information
because she thought Toni unprepared due to her discomfort concerning sex. Most
of all, she should have informed her of all the consequences of Merge and what
it might mean to their future if they should separate. Kaesah had behaved as a
bu chuk, allowing her own fears to govern her.

She stretched out on the bed and closed her eyes as Toni’s
emotions washed through her. Toni could not help but feel Kaesah’s remorse and
she hoped Toni would forgive her.

Where did they go from here? A resolution had to come or they
would go through their days in misery. Toni had to sense her sincerity when she
said she was willing to stay with her on Urtye. That she indeed thought of Toni
as a friend. No, in truth, she thought of her as more than a friend, much more.
Toni had to sense this just as she sensed Toni’s fondness for her growing.

For Kaesah, these emotions would grow stronger. She was as NaQwi
Nali, tilting on her axis to enter the spring solstice. Toni was her sun, and
she could not stop herself from spinning nearer, from wanting the rays of her
love. Surely, with all that had transpired, Destiny meant for them to be
together as mates.

Would Toni turn her face to Kaesah and catch her loving rays?

****

Toni stomped to the sleep room to get her blanket and pillow to
take them to the cargo bay. If necessary, she would stay there until estrus,
and her resentment, passed. She wanted to find out if the cargo bay was out of
their empathic range, and if so, would she experience the emptiness Kaesah had
said would happen. If she did have those feelings, she could always go to the
infirmary, which was in their empathic range.

After stripping her mat, she dashed out of the arboretum, Kaesah’s
remorse hounding her. Later she would return to get her clothes, and might even
raid the galley for fruit to take with her for a snack. Kaesah had better stay
out of her way when she returned to prepare her meals.

She tramped down the corridor, entered the cargo bay, her anger
intensified by Kaesah’s remorse and dismay she still picked up. Apparently, no
place on this ship was far enough away for them to escape broadcasting their
emotions. She might as well stay in the infirmary where it would be more
comfortable. For now, she spread the blanket by a cargo container and sat on
the pillow, leaning her back against the container wall.

Not only was she angry with Kaesah, but in a way, Toni was mad at
herself. On more than one occasion, she had picked up a vague unease from
Kaesah, especially when they were in the infirmary for Toni’s checkups. What
she should have done was confront Kaesah then.

She felt hurt that Kaesah didn’t think enough of her to tell her
everything about Merge until now. She knew Kaesah sensed this from her. Let
her suffer as I do. Kaesah’s misery brought her a certain perverse
pleasure. A petty part of her wanted to hold on to this anger forever just to
punish Kaesah. But, this anger would leave her. The makeup of her nature never
allowed her to carry a grudge. She sighed, resentment already slipping away,
leaving behind sadness and uncertainty.

It scared her to think of a future life of bitterness and
emptiness. It equally scared her to think of going back to Earth to her old
life. She hoped when she returned home Kaesah would come with her, and lend her
support as a friend until Toni had her life back on track. No, that wasn’t
entirely true. Kaesah was becoming much more than a friend. What she shared
with Kaesah, in many ways, was more intimate than what she had shared with
Lisa. She was afraid: Afraid to permit herself to take that final step into
surrender. When all was said and done, they were literally light years apart.

It was one thing to be the only ones on this ship,
dependent on each other for companionship, but another when they reached
Kaesah’s home. Kaesah cared for her, that much was true, and liked her. Toni
felt her caring warmth. Even so, once Kaesah was home and among her own people,
what then? Toni might become a burden and an embarrassment.

If Kaesah stayed with her out of duty, some code of honor, would
it be fair to her? Would it be fair to Toni? She hoped being human would
protect her from what the severance of Merge could mean.

****

The muffled fall of footsteps diverted Kaesah away from her task
of pollinating the blue, elongated blossoms of a drafruit bush. Toni stood within
an arm’s length, not speaking, but Kaesah sensed her disquiet. She did not
think Toni would show today. Though she had sensed her resentment lessen as the
day wore on. She dropped the pollination brush into the bowl at her feet and
faced Toni.

Toni wiped her hands down the sides of her blouse, Kaesah
recognizing this action as a sign of nervousness. Kaesah could see uncertainty
in her eyes and expression.

“Kaesah, I want you to know if you had told me everything about
Deep Merge, I still would have done it. I was angry, am angry, that you treated
me like a child, telling me things when they become a problem instead of
discussing them with me.”

“Forgive. I did not inform you of all consequences of Merge
because I feared you would have refused. I should have also been forthright
when we discussed estrus, but withheld the information assuming it would upset
you. As you have pointed out, I treated you like a child, when I am the one who
is a child, permitting my fears to govern me. There will be no more hiding the
truth.” Kaesah knew Toni would sense her sincerity.

“I do forgive you.” Merge assured Kaesah that Toni’s forgiveness
was sincere. “About your offer to stay on Earth with me, I appreciate it. As
you say, I’m not NaQwin, so maybe the consequences of breaking Merge won’t
apply. Let’s wait and see before we decide anything for now. Okay?”

“We will wait for what Destiny brings us. We cannot see the
future.” She wanted to say in words what was in her soul, so Toni would know
what she was beginning to mean to her, even though she knew Toni felt it
through Merge. “When I told you earlier I would return to Urtye with you, I
said I cared for you. I spoke the truth. I wish you to know I have developed
strong feelings for you. I sense the same from you. I believe these emotions
will grow stronger in both of us and become much more.”

Toni’s eyes widened, Kaesah sensing surprise. To Kaesah’s
satisfaction, Toni did not deny the truth. She could not. Merge would expose
it.

“You don’t think we’re feeling this way because of Merge?”

“Merge is a major component, yes, but not the sole one. Merge
reveals the real person. It cannot make us like or love another. I find your
caring nature, kindness, and characteristics appealing. I also find your
physical characteristics appealing.”

“I also find you appealing. It scares me as I wonder what I would
feel without Merge.”

“That we cannot know. Though, before we Merged, I
could glimpse goodness in your soul, and that, alone, appealed to me.”

Toni was quiet, her expression serious as if she had focused
inward to examine her feelings. Kaesah sensed uncertainty from her. Kaesah had
hope. Toni would feel this and her uncertainty would lessen. Destiny charted a
purpose for them, Kaesah was sure. This purpose would not unfold unless they remained
together. She would be patient while waiting for Toni to awaken to this in her
own time.

“May I hold you?” Kaesah opened her arms invitingly. Toni stepped
into the embrace and hugged tight. Kaesah immersed in warmth, as well as
doubts. She knew Toni felt her affection and hoped with time Toni would realize
what she was coming to mean to Kaesah, and the doubts would fade. They
unhurriedly withdrew from the embrace, sharing shy smiles.

“What are you doing?” Toni indicated the bush with a swift twist
of her head.

“Pollinating the drafruit bush. I have to do this by hand, as
there are no insects to carry pollen from one blossom to another. Wind fans do
not work on drafruit blossoms because of their elongated shape. Would you like
to help?”

“I thought that’s what you were doing. I’ve helped my squash and
pumpkins along like that. Give me a brush.”

Kaesah retrieved two brushes from the bowl, handing one to Toni.
“This is one of the fruit trees that have separate male and female blossoms.”

“I recognize the differences in the stamens and pistils.” Toni
examined a couple of blossoms. “They look like what I would see in squash
blossoms back home.”

“Nature is consistent throughout the Universe—in most instances.”

They worked side by side, Kaesah sensing some unease from Toni.
She waited, knowing Toni was not one to hold back seeking answers if she had a
question or was confused.

Toni stopped the task, faced Kaesah, her voice halting.
“Ah…Kaesah…what I’m going to say is hard. I’m not sure how to phrase this.”

“Do not be afraid to speak of what is on your mind. As you are
aware, I sense your unease.”

“Me sharing your estrus cycle. How hard will it be when I…we
get the urge to mate?”

“It will not be pleasant. As I said, the drive to mate is strong
in NaQwins at this time. It is intensified in a Merged
pair because of our link. This does not concern a Merged
pair, because we act on it. I understand our circumstances, and I do not expect
us to act on this.”

“I’ll be able to control it, won’t I? I mean, I don’t want to be out
of control and do something I’ll regret.” The worry Kaesah sensed from Toni
also reflected in her voice and features.

“I am confident you will control it. You are not going to lose
your mind, becoming an animal with no restraints.”

“How about you, Kaesah, can you control it?”

“Do not fear me, Toni. With all my soul, I swear, on my honor, I
would never force sex on you.” She experienced a twinge of hurt that Toni would
think she would be capable of such an act. The concept of forcing one into sex
was so foreign to NaQwins that there was not even a word for it, although she
understood ‘rape’ was a common occurrence on Urtye.

Toni said nothing more, Kaesah feeling her apprehension lessen.

They continued their task as Kaesah weighed in her mind the
appropriateness of what she wanted to say. Honesty, in addition to openness,
was needed here. She stopped her task. “Toni.” This got Toni’s attention and
Kaesah continued. “I am not opposed to taking our relationship to a physical
level. The decision is yours. I do not wish to frighten you with this.”

“You don’t. I…think…” Toni stammered. Kaesah saw her face blush
and sensed her discomfort. “I appreciate your offer, but I’m not ready for
that. I can’t have sex with someone unless I love them and they love me. I know
I’m a major prude, but that’s the way I am.”

“When love is shared, sex becomes a blessing. I will honor and
respect your decision on this, as I honor and respect you.”

“NaQwins are probably a lot more practical about sex.”

“Our view of sex has a spiritual concept. We believe it manifests
one of the dynamic, creative forces of the Universe on an individual level.
This force is one we celebrate. We do not run amok mating with everybody. If
you want to learn more about NaQwin sexuality and the circumstances that apply
to a Merged pair, I can show you how to access the
information contained in the omni-center.” Kaesah thought Toni would be more
comfortable if she perused this information on the omni-unit rather than
discussing the subject with her.

“I…I’ll think on it.”

“I think it best if we do not share a sleep room. I will move to
my former one. I will hear you call me to vanquish any wintukas that enter your
room.”

Toni laughed. “You can bet I’ll scream so loud, I’ll wake up the
whole Milky Way.”

Toni’s laugh was soothing to Kaesah’s soul.

****

Even with her calf muscles on fire and her jumpsuit saturated with
sweat, Toni continued to push herself around the gravity generator’s catwalk.
She had lost count of the circuits. It didn’t matter because she intended to
run until she dropped, until she could no longer lift one leg ahead of the
other, until she no longer wanted to crawl out of her skin.

This morning, she had come here to exercise after awakening
because of intense arousal, wanting to put distance between herself and
temptation. It had been a torture to know a willing woman slept in a nearby
room.

Toni felt blameless in this, a victim. This was Kaesah’s fault.
Kaesah was the cause of this. She had gone into estrus taking Toni with her.
Briefly, she considered Kaesah’s offer of sex, but feared the aftermath of
going down that path.

She labored around the curve and slowed. Kaesah stood in the
middle of the catwalk, her back ramrod straight, stance solid, and hands on
hips. Toni stopped a couple of yards away from Kaesah, bent over with hands
braced on knees, head down, panting.

“Cease this, Toni.” Kaesah frowned. “You have overexerted
yourself. We will go to the infirmary.”

Toni sucked in several gulps of air, straightened, gave Kaesah a
challenging stare. “I’m tired of taking orders from you. I’ll go when I’m damn
well good and ready to go.”

Kaesah frowned, nostrils flaring, face darkened to a deep russet.
No way would Toni flinch first. Thinning her lips, she glowered back, very aware they were feeding each other’s antagonism
through their link. Accompanying her anger was lust, and these combined with
Kaesah’s flushed cheeks and defiant stance, made Toni want to slap her…or fuck
her.

“Why are you so obstinate?” Kaesah ground out. “I am concerned for
you.”

Toni snorted derisively. “Yeah, I bet you are. Your concern for me
is all about you getting home.” Immediately, Toni sensed she had hurt Kaesah,
her anger changed to regret.

The hurt shown on Kaesah’s features, her
voice quiet. “That is not true.”

Toni pushed back a sweat-dampened curl from her brow. “I’m sorry.
This has me on edge.”

“I understand.”

“I’m sure you do.” Toni attempted to provide comic relief. “Let me
vibrate my bod in some sound waves so I don’t smell like a stinky mushroom from
Mites. Then I’ll meet you in the infirmary.”

Kaesah’s smile produced those cute dimples, a peek of white teeth
touching her bottom lip. Lust hit Toni hard in her gut and groin with the urge
to take that mouth with hers, to push Kaesah on the deck and.... She swiftly pivoted
and headed down the corridor to the elevator.

Need for release had her prone against the shower wall, franticly
stroking her clit, orgasm unleashed with a fury that brought forth a loud,
prolonged cry. She was past caring that Kaesah could feel her want. The point
of shame had passed with this insane drive to mate.

Later, as she lay on an examination table, Kaesah ran the
diagnostics.

“Are your breasts sore?” Kaesah asked.

Toni let out an irritated sigh. “My breasts are sore, my belly has
spasms in it, I’m horny as hell. Need I go on?” Her
eyes began to tear up. “I’m being a super bitch. You have to give me something
for this. I can’t go through the next six or seven days like this.”

“Truth. This is the height of it. The
intensity will subside in a day, two at most.” Kaesah turned off the diagnostic
scanner.

“That’s an eternity,” Toni whined pitifully. “Why aren’t you
suffering like I am?”

Kaesah’s expression was amused. “I do suffer. I have more
discipline than you do in controlling my symptoms.”

Toni pushed herself up, rested on her forearm, and pouted. “That’s
right, Miss Cool and Collected, rub it in.”

“It is not easy for me, I assure you. This morning, I alleviated
some of the discomfort. I then went to the waterfall and meditated. I had hoped
you would sense my calmness.”

No wonder I’m constantly horny, Toni thought. With us in the throes of
‘alleviating some of the discomfort’, all we’re managing to accomplish is to
keep each other in a heightened state of arousal. “Maybe I ought to take up
meditation.” She sat on the edge of the examination table and then slid off to
stand.

“If you wish, later today I will instruct you.”

“Thanks, I’ll take you up on your offer.” Toni felt sheepish. “I’m
sorry, Kaesah, that I bit your head off.”

“No apology necessary. I have bitten heads off while in estrus. On
NaQwi, many seclude themselves for the days when it reaches this point, which
we call pyat. For we who are Merged, we have not only
our pyat to contend with, we have our mate’s pyat also.”

Mate, she called me mate. Could it be? No, Toni, that’s just an
example. “I think
I’m ready for something to eat. Maybe a bowl of clum.”

“It would please me to prepare it for you. I will also prepare
jeje tea. It has properties that help alleviate anxiety.”

At this point, Toni would drink a brew of eye of newt and toe of
frog if it would help calm her frayed nerves.

Chapter Twenty

The peaceful sound of the waterfall didn’t put Toni in a
meditative state of mind. Maybe she tried too hard, or it was the position she
was in with legs crossed, arms relaxed, back straight. She wasn’t accustomed to
sitting this way.

She glanced at Kaesah opposite her who seemed oblivious to her
surroundings and serene. Not a ripple of emotion or stress showed on her face.
She resembled a sculpture carved from stone and polished, her hair in a thick
braid draped over her right shoulder. Her mouth moved and parted to show the
edge of white teeth that dented the fullness of her bottom lip. Saliva flooded
Toni’s mouth from the hunger to nibble that lip, to press her mouth—Stop.
You will not do it. You will not think it.

With effort, she fought to clear her mind and clamp down her
desire, knowing Kaesah sensed it.

This desire was not the almost unbearable lust she had experienced
while in estrus, which they had phased out of seven days ago, but it was still
strong.

She also sensed Kaesah’s desire, and wondered if estrus had opened
them both up to sharing their wants through Merge with more intensity. Or did
this have something to do with her hormonal and endocrine systems now being in
sync with Kaesah’s?

Maybe she should ask Kaesah. Or maybe she should go to the
omni-center first and see what information she could find on NaQwin sexuality,
then approach Kaesah with any questions on the subject.

Toni couldn’t remember ever feeling this sexual, and this led her
to speculate NaQwins had a stronger sex drive than humans. A wry snort escaped
when she thought of the old saying, ‘every rose has its thorn’. NaQwin hormonal
and endocrine systems might have benefits, but they might have drawbacks as
well. How do you measure a sex drive anyway? For all she knew, her sex drive
before this might have been low for human females.

That would be all she would need, she thought wryly, a strong sex
drive. She was the first to admit to being a prude. Never able to shed every
repressive lesson on the subject of sex from her parents and the Christian high
school she attended. Being a lesbian made her less judgmental of what others
did in the privacy of their bedroom. She preferred vanilla sex. Make that fudge
ripple. Although her fantasies were often anything but vanilla, something she
kept to herself, not even shared with Lisa.

Sex drive or not, she had an acute awareness of Kaesah, awareness
beyond the physical. Kaesah was right when she said their feelings would grow
stronger. Toni was in love, and it scared her. If Kaesah returned her love and
they stayed together, what would it mean in the long run? Toni wouldn’t be
incomplete. But would their love withstand the cultural differences? Would they
grow together or grow apart, forever bound by Merge?

She focused on sounds of the waterfall, letting it calm her until
she finally discovered that rare place within, which encompassed the Universe.

****

Kaesah was aware of Toni meditating close by, and aware of Toni’s
sexual desire and her love. She observed her reflection in the water and then
peered beyond to the sandy bottom, seeing a few fish.

After Deep Merge and before estrus, she had detected a glimmer of
sexual interest from Toni that she had preferred to ignore because of Toni’s
reserve when it concerned sex.

Kaesah perceived Toni was torn between her sexual wants and what
principles she held due to her upbringing. Though, she did sense her curiosity
pertaining to NaQwin sexuality, Kaesah recalling past conversation they had on
the topic of adolescence and the more recent one regarding NaQwin views on sex.
She must tread cautiously and wait for Toni to come to her with any questions
on this subject.

Even after estrus, Kaesah wanted Toni. It was not the same as the
frantic drive to mate from their shared pyat, but it was powerful. This was due
in part to estrus restoring her libido that had been submerged because of her
grief for Atimki, then anxiety from the search for an Anchor. Also, sensing
Toni’s desire fed her own.

Though, Kaesah recognized the main reason for her desire was
seeing Toni with the eyes of her soul. She wanted to know Toni with the sexual
meld only Merge could bring, wanted to make Toni her mate in every possible
way.

As for Toni’s love, Kaesah would not force the issue, for she
sensed Toni was not comfortable with the emotion. As for her own emotions, she
loved Toni. She knew Toni sensed her love but probably misread it as
friendship. Or did Toni fear Kaesah’s emotions, not trusting them because
Kaesah was not human?

Patience, she must be patient and trust her instincts, letting
time ripen to the perfect moment when she would reveal to Toni in words her
love…and desire.

Chapter Twenty-one

Toni peered up at the transparent ceiling, taking in the vista of
the expansive red and indigo hued supernova remnant they leaped to yesterday,
and marveled at its beauty. With each astronomical site they leaped to, she had
to pinch herself to make sure she wasn’t caught up in a wild, fanciful dream.

The sound of two octagonal shaped dice tumbling on the tabletop
centered her attention on the game. She watched as Kaesah moved her game piece.

“Your move,” Kaesah said as she grabbed a troe out of a bowl on
her right.

Toni studied the board, calculating her move. The only way she
could describe shzuru was to compare it to chess played with dice. Kaesah was
patient in trying to teach her, and patient when Toni took her time to make a
move.

Glancing up, Toni’s eyes riveted
on Kaesah’s lips as they caressed a ripe troe. Her neat, white teeth pierced
yellow skin and tore free a bite of ripe pulp, the action causing a jolt of
sudden arousal to flow so strongly through Toni, she gasped.

Kaesah jerked, ceased chewing, troe juice running down the side of
her mouth onto her chin. Her eyes met Toni’s, each aware of what was happening
between them.

Toni’s mouth watered with desire to catch the juice on her tongue,
trail it up to those luscious lips where she would open Kaesah’s mouth and drink
the sweetness within. She watched, mesmerized as Kaesah’s skin flushed dark,
mouth slightly parting, and her eyes grow dewy with invitation.

With a growl, Toni dropped the dice, stood, strode speedily away
from the table to leave behind this ache, and her mortification, knowing Kaesah
sensed her lust. She stopped at the pool’s edge, hugged her arms around
herself, the hunger a living thing.

“Toni.”

Her name said by Kaesah sent a shiver of desire so powerful
through her, she sobbed out in despair and shame. She dare not look into
Kaesah’s eyes, afraid she’d see pity in them. Kaesah would not hesitate to have
sex with her. Toni wanted more. Wanted Kaesah’s love, wanted Kaesah to make
love to her, for them to make love together. “Go. Please.”

“Why do you fight your feelings—our feelings—when they are what we
both want?”

“I don’t want to get hurt.”

Silence followed. Toni detected Kaesah behind her and sensed her
puzzlement.

“Hurt? Why do you fear what we feel for each other?”

Toni hugged herself tighter.

“Look at me, Toni.”

Toni shook her head as she whimpered.

Kaesah clasped Toni’s shoulder and rotated her around to face her.
Kaesah’s concern enveloped Toni. She smoothed her hand down Toni’s cheek. “Look
at me. I want you to look at me.”

Toni lifted her eyes to Kaesah’s, seeing in them concern. “I’m
afraid if we have sex, I’ll fall too deep in love with you and you won’t return
my love.”

“We are already in love. I love you. You feel it, but you are
afraid to acknowledge it. You are afraid of what is in your soul.”

She felt Kaesah’s love and desire radiate out and embrace her. But
she didn’t trust Kaesah’s words, didn’t truly trust what she was sensing. “And
when we reach NaQwi? Will you still love me? Or will you be ashamed of me
because I’m human, an Urtyne?”

Hurt mixed with a little anger seeped from Kaesah. Toni didn’t
need to sense it because she saw it in Kaesah’s eyes and face.

“Know this, Toni, and feel what is in my soul. You are my Anchor,
and you are my mate in all the important ways. You do not shame me. You are
honorable in your actions. You are honorable in your soul. I would know
otherwise if you were shriveled and selfish in your soul.” She gave Toni an
intense stare. “Or are your words and fears a reflection of the shame you have
for me? Shame because I am not human, an alien to you?”

Toni flinched. “That’s not true. I would be proud to call you my
mate. I would be proud to introduce you to my friends.”

“Then be a mate to me. In every way.”

Dark eyes smoldering with desire scorched Toni. Kaesah’s want,
through Merge, fueled Toni’s own. She nuzzled into Kaesah’s palm that cupped
her cheek, the touch flooding her with love, and yes, desire. Kaesah trailed
her fingers down Toni’s shoulder and arm, taking her hand.

“Please, hold me.” Toni’s voice held an ache.

Kaesah opened her arms and they melded into an embrace filled with
love, passion beginning to flame. Kaesah separated slightly to gaze up into her
eyes, lips parting in invitation. Toni lowered her mouth to Kaesah’s, almost
swooning when warm velvet brushed against her lips. A current of desire so
strong rampaged through her veins and drove her to press her mouth forcefully
onto pliant heat. The kiss returned to Toni was ardent, her hunger stoked by
Kaesah’s desire transferred through Merge.

A growl escaped from deep in Kaesah’s throat. She broke the kiss
to search Toni’s face. They stood frozen, stunned by emotions and what they
found in each other’s eyes.

Kaesah recovered first and held out her hand to Toni. “Come,
beloved, we will join in celebration and Merge will make us truly one.”

Toni clasped the offered hand and accompanied Kaesah to her sleep
room. Since Kaesah had resumed use of this room, the phantom wall had not been
activated. They stepped into the room, Kaesah ordering lights on low. The blues
and greens of light beneath the seascape mural spilled in slow waves across the
room, and lent it an illusion of being under water.

Kaesah held Toni’s hands as she regarded her with a dimpled smile,
one that left Toni almost breathless.

“Beautiful Toni, you are my treasure. Will you allow me to love
you?”

Kaesah’s words were a touch shared through Merge that moved
through Toni and imbued her with desire. “Yes.”

That one word granted Kaesah permission to give her anything and
everything, and granted Toni permission to give Kaesah anything and everything
in return.

Chapter Twenty-two

My’ Toni, ‘my’ treasured one, ‘my’ beloved and, yes, ‘my’ mate, Kaesah’s soul sang with joy.
How she had yearned to say those words. Now acknowledgement of their love
granted her permission.

With strong resolve, she vanquished from her mind the future
specter of Toni going back to Urtye without her. In the present, Toni was now her
Toni, her mate, hers.

She brought Toni’s right hand to her lips to bestow a kiss on the
palm, feeling her mate’s desire and uncertainty. Kaesah would be the giver, the
guide, and she must be patient with her Toni, for, in many ways, this would be
her treasured one’s first time.

Moving closer she almost touched Toni with her body and caressed
her cheek. “I need you to trust me and know what we share tonight will be
wondrous. Will you trust me when I say my wish is to love you and give you
pleasure?”

“I trust you,” Toni said with conviction, her expression open.

“My beloved, Merge will bring us together in a way I cannot
describe. We will enter salkia, a total fusing of our emotions and sensations.
My touch will be your touch. You will experience what I feel when I touch you,
and I will feel my touch as you experience it. Do you understand?”

“I think I do. It will be like when we touch I can feel your
emotions more intensely.”

“Beyond that, my Toni. We will submerge into emotion
and sensation. We will become emotion and sensation. You must allow me to be
the giver and you must be the taker, accepting from me what I give. I will love
you with my body and with my emotions. I will be the active partner this first
time. Do not touch me with your hands.”

Kaesah sensed Toni’s confusion.

“You mean I can’t touch you, make love to you?”

“It is not as you think. When we go into salkia, I will experience
what I am doing to you. I will share your pleasure as if it was my own and you
will share mine. If you were to take an active role, it could overwhelm our
senses, pleasure fleeing us.”

Kaesah still sensed bewilderment and held Toni close. “Feel my
love for you. Share what is in my soul.”

Toni’s arms tightened around Kaesah. “I’ll do anything you want.”

Kaesah trailed fingers to the back of Toni’s head to draw her down
for a kiss. She moved her lips sensuously on warm softness. The mouth against
hers relaxed and opened, tips of tongues teased, as they tasted fully the
sweetness that lay within. The kiss raged through her to strike hard in her
core.

With a muted groan, she left the sweetness of the kiss. Taking
Toni’s hand, she guided her to the bed and pulled her down to sit beside her.
She tucked back one of Toni’s curls, letting her hand glide down a pale cheek.

“Let us get to know each other’s bodies first. Will you undress
me?” Kaesah thought Toni undressing her first would give her a sense of
control.

Toni caught her bottom lip between her teeth for an instant and
shyly nodded.

Kaesah slid up beside Toni. “Help me remove my blouse.” Toni
obliged, the caress of her eyes on Kaesah’s torso heightening desire.

Kaesah leaned over to bestow an almost chaste kiss on Toni’s lips.
She held her mate’s hands on her breasts. “My beloved, they are yours to love
as you wish. Your touch is most welcome.”

Toni’s thumb pads teased Kaesah’s nipples, the contact sending a
shudder of desire to her core. She was unable to prevent the escape of a moan
and heard Toni echo it.

“Taste them, please.”

Toni leaned forward and took a stiff peak into her mouth, her
tongue caressing it. Soon, Toni’s arms circled her back, bringing Kaesah forward
as her mouth drew in the nipple and most of the breast. The heat of Toni’s
mouth as she licked and suckled the swollen nipple was almost too much.

She gently pushed Toni from her breast to stare into blue depths
of bright eyes. “May I undress you?”

“Yes.” Toni’s voice sounded hoarse.

Kaesah removed Toni’s blouse. She greedily feasted her eyes on
large and firm breasts with their coral nipples taut among pebbled areolae.
Eagerly, she pulled off her ebebs and slipped out of pants and undershorts,
tossing them aside. She stretched out on the bed and watched Toni’s gaze travel
the length of her, linger on her breasts and then move on to her pubis.

Toni wet her lips with the tip of her tongue, voice rough with
arousal. “Lovely. You are so very lovely.”

“It pleases me you find me so.” Kaesah patted the bed space beside
her. “Come. Join me.”

Toni removed the rest of her garments and reclined on her side
beside Kaesah, not touching her. Kaesah let her eyes languidly slip down Toni’s
body. The pale creaminess of her skin reminded her of a rare pink sea snail’s
shell interior.

She had seen Toni unclothed when she first brought her aboard
ship, and later, bathed her after the enzyme, but the eyes of her soul had not
seen her mate then. “You are beautiful, my treasure, so very beautiful.”

Shyness emanated from Toni, as did her desire.

Kaesah touched Toni’s cheek and traced fingers down the column of
her smooth neck to place them on the pulse where the ebb and flow of life
coursed. Her fingers swept to the collarbone, tracing it, then journeyed down
the slope of soft breast and circled a coral nipple, making the areola pebble
even more. “Delightful,” she murmured.

Kaesah continued her fingers’ journey between Toni’s breasts and
over her stomach to touch the edge of rough hair, so exotic and different from
the smoothness of a NaQwin’s body. She brushed through hair, then into the
crease, hearing Toni’s sharp cry as she glided a finger on the flesh that
hooded the clitoris. It marveled her that, out of all species, human females
and NaQwins shared the same structure in sex organs.

Toni groaned huskily and parted her legs. Her excitement engulfed
Kaesah, stopping any further exploration. Kaesah drew in a breath, only to have
an intoxicating scent send a shudder of passion that caused wetness to flow
from her core.

One more action Kaesah desired to take, and controlling the urge
to surrender to salkia, she again stroked over Toni’s clitoris and into wet
heat that closed around her finger in a welcome.

With a gasp, Toni thrust her pelvis forward to take more of
Kaesah’s finger into her. An echoing gasp tore from Kaesah as her hips surged
and vagina clenched when experiencing what Toni felt. She removed her finger
and pushed Toni on her back, lying atop her body to soak in warmth and her
mate’s rising passion.

Toni’s arms circled Kaesah’s back and their mouths hungrily met,
tongues stoking the fire. Then firm hands were on her buttocks, pressing Kaesah
more firmly against the pliant body below.

Breaking the kiss, Kaesah tenderly nipped Toni’s bottom lip, the
urge strong to draw blood and taste the life of her mate, an ancient custom,
perhaps even genetic, of their Asun ancestors to mark a mate as theirs. Many
NaQwins abandoned the custom because of its savagery, though some still
practiced it. Kaesah did not like to cause pain and she had never drawn blood
from a lover.

Her lips trailed down to Toni’s right breast to press a kiss on
the puckered nipple. Suckling the nipple, her hands surrounded the bountiful
fullness of Toni’s breast.

“Ahh.” Toni cried, Kaesah feeling
increased force of her mate’s fingers against her buttocks. Toni moved her arms
to encircle Kaesah’s back, clasping her tight and brought her knees up to
cradle Kaesah’s thighs between her legs.

Hunger escalated as Toni undulated against Kaesah. Now. She must stop now and prepare Toni for what was to
come.

With a sharp inhale, she rolled off Toni. She searched Toni’s
face. “You felt it beginning, did you not? Merge into one?”

Puzzlement shown in Toni’s
expression, her voice hesitant. “I…I…I can’t explain. I felt your touch as if I were doing it.”

“We were on the threshold of salkia.” Kaesah reached up, opened
the headboard’s cubbyhole, and removed two satiny, red scarves.

After getting to her knees by Toni’s supine body, she unrolled the
two, long scarves and held them for Toni to see. “Beloved one, you must trust
me and know that I will not harm you. What I will ask of you will have nothing
to do with ownership or degradation.”

With her right hand, Toni stroked Kaesah’s cheek, her expression
open and unguarded. “I trust you with all my heart.”

“Give me your hands, I must secure them. The touch of hands will
intensify sensations to the point of overwhelming senses.”

Toni did not hesitate, and Kaesah knew her mate was bestowing on
her a great gift. She was giving Kaesah her trust.

Kaesah kissed each of Toni’s wrists, letting her lips linger on
the pulse points for an instant before she tied one end of a scarf to her
mate’s left wrist and the other scarf end around the right one. After she
checked to make sure they were not too tight, she looped both ends around the
bedposts. Toni’s hands were above her head, causing her breasts to lift high,
the erotic view making Kaesah catch her breath.

With determination, Kaesah moved her eyes from this enticing
display. She fingered the scarves at Toni’s wrists. “Are they too tight?”

Toni tugged at the scarves and gave Kaesah a trusting smile. “Not
tight at all.”

Kaesah straddled Toni’s waist to settle once again onto her heat
and solidness. Their eyes met, Kaesah seeing Toni’s pupils dilate with passion.
She descended on the inviting mouth and tasted desire as she began giving her
love to Toni. Her beloved one would return it. Most of all, she knew Merge
would make them one.

****

I taste her tasting of my kiss.

Tongues stroke warmth, mine, hers, ours.

I, she, we, immerse in this kiss, together, one.

Smooth satin skin, relishing the heat of hands,

hers, mine, ours.

Her hands worship me, worship us.

My, her, our breast, overflows her palm,
overflows

our palm.

Ours.

Our tongue caresses our pebbled peak.

Our nipple feels the caress of our tongue.

Our body moves, beneath, above, blending.

Our hand touches, feel the touch of our hand, we

open to our hand touching.

Warm ocean tide runs through our fingers.

Our scent intoxicates.

Our voice pushes us higher.

Our tongue dances in the source.

My love.

My soul.

Sweet honey.

Spring rain.

Yes!

Cy!

Our climax moves us through the Universe,

unraveling time and creation.

In Merge, we are one.

****

Toni stirred from a light slumber. Now free from the scarves, she
tightened her left arm about Kaesah to bring her more snugly against her side.
Kaesah, resting her head on Toni’s left breast, traced a finger around the
nipple of the other breast, her left leg thrown across Toni’s thighs. Toni smiled, content to bask in the afterglow of making love.

Making love? Toni had no words to describe what she and Kaesah
shared. If there were divine beings that existed anywhere in the Universe, this
would be how they made love.

She snuggled her cheek against Kaesah’s hair, sensing a current of
affection. Toni was undeniably in love. It wasn’t just sex making her feel this
way. No doubt remained in her heart that when Kaesah said, “I love you,” she
was sincere. Merge breathed life into love and made it tangible.

She was not so besotted to think everything was valentines and
cupids. Kaesah had her faults, as did she. Kaesah was bossy and sometimes her
superior attitude of NaQwi is better than Earth got on Toni’s nerves. But Merge
revealed Kaesah’s goodness and kindness, Toni finding these qualities
attractive.

Kaesah displayed a playful side Toni enjoyed. She never had much
of that with Lisa, who’d been more focused on the serious side of life. Lisa’s
goal had been to make her business one of the most successful in Georgia, and
she had frequently put in weekends and nights working toward that goal. Truth
be told, Toni often resented it.

She stirred uneasily at comparing Lisa to Kaesah. They were two
separate individuals. With all her heart, she had loved Lisa. When Toni first
came out, Lisa had unselfishly been there for her. Yes, Lisa had been driven to
succeed, and Toni had believed she owed Lisa her support in achieving her
goals.

Toni wasn’t ambitious. She didn’t aspire to be anything, or do
anything, but find contentment in life. Contentment for her was a job she would
like, a nice house, a garden, someone she could love, someone who would love
her. Lisa had given her those things.

Now her life was uncertain. Despite uncertainty, she felt truly
alive. She lived in a fantasy, discovering the Universe and possibilities never
imagined. Creation was seen through the new eyes Kaesah had given her.

“My right arm is numb.” Kaesah tried to move away from Toni.

Toni raised her back, Kaesah pulling her arm free and propping
herself up on an elbow. She rested her chin in her hand as she searched Toni’s
face, smiling brightly. “You are a very receptive mate, and very responsive.”

“That’s a good thing—right?” The word mate made Toni’s
heart do a happy dance. To her, the word sounded more intimate than spouse, or
even wife. After all, intimate had the word mate in it.

Kaesah kissed Toni’s nose. “Not a good thing. A
marvelous thing.”

Toni lifted a hand to Kaesah’s hair and smoothed fingers over its
soft thickness. “You’re a pretty marvelous mate yourself, darlin’.” They shared
a kiss, barely letting the tips of their tongues touch.

The kiss intensified, Kaesah’s tongue
insistent as it sought entrance. Toni opened her mouth for Kaesah to enter. She
brought Kaesah to rest fully on top of her as she wrapped her legs around that
sleek and slender body. A tidal wave of love rushed into her. She broke the
kiss to declare her feelings. “I love you. I want to stay with you forever.”

Kaesah stilled. Toni felt her love, but also sensed another
emotion. Sadness?

Now straddling Toni’s waist, Kaesah stared down at her with
pensive eyes, her voice wistful. “My Toni, I feel your sincerity. However, I am
going to ask you to do something you might not understand. Give me your oath
you will not say you wish to stay with me until we are on NaQwi and I ask you.”

Toni felt hurt. “I love you and want to sta—”

Kaesah put her hand on Toni’s mouth. “Give this to me. Please.”

Toni knew Kaesah asked this because she did not trust Toni’s love,
their love, would last once they reached NaQwi. That despite
Merge they could indeed separate. She vowed to love Kaesah so much she
would feel the strength and truth of it, that she would make her love a living
entity through Merge. It wasn’t fear of the emptiness a severance of Merge
would bring. She feared the emptiness losing Kaesah’s love would bring. Her
eyes locked onto Kaesah’s somber eyes. “I promise.”

Kaesah gave her a gentle kiss. “Thank you.”

Tenderness from Kaesah enveloped her. Toni kissed her with all the
love she possessed. She wanted Kaesah to feel the strength of her love, and
know it was forever.

Chapter Twenty-three

The cascading stream of light and sound abruptly stopped as Kaesah
was snatched free of the Myr’s mind. Toni’s fingers still entwined with hers.
Three deep inhales of breath cleared her head, and she regarded her mate with a
smile. Toni returned a smile, Kaesah feeling her satisfaction for a successful
Deep Merge. She removed the transmitter from her temple and disengaged the arm
shield, continuing to hold Toni’s hand, when the omni-unit announced, “Military
ship, Arrow Moon, requesting communication.”

“Military ship?” Toni apparently understood what the omni-unit
stated.

Kaesah sensed apprehension from Toni. “No need to fret. This is
the outer edge of NaQwin territory and the Dydus nebula is where Myrs can feed.
Military patrols are common. Omni-unit, open communication
with Arrow Moon.”

Immediately, a projected panorama of the nebula appeared before
flashing to a seated dark-skinned NaQwin. She wore her black hair in a style
preferred by military officers. It was close cropped on the right side at
temple level, the hair above combed over to join the hair on the left side to
form a single, thick braid that fell to her left shoulder. Her black tunic had
a red sunburst design sewn onto the left chest that designated her rank as
Lyrtar.

Given the officer’s rank, Kaesah loosened her right hand from
Toni’s grip and tapped her fingers to her forehead, a sign of respect to one
who held a high station. “Good Journey to you, Arrow Moon. I am Rije Vos
Zun Briel Kaesah, Associate Geneticist, Navigator, and Trynt of the research
ship Flowering Star. My Anchor is Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice
Geneticist. Our destination is NaQwi.” Kaesah noticed how the officer’s eyes
slid to Toni, her expression one of puzzlement.

The officer’s attention fixed back on Kaesah. “Good journey to you,
Trynt Kaesah of Flowering Star. I am Joulus Vos Pioye Briel Glasa,
Lyrtar of military patrol ship, Arrow Moon.” Her gaze drifted to Toni,
then back to Kaesah. “I extend my welcome to you and your
Anchor to join me and my Navigator and Anchor for dinner.”

“Most gracious Lyrtar Glasa, we accept your invitation.”

“I am honored. I will send a skiff to bring you here at mot
fourteen.”

Kaesah glanced at Toni to gauge her physical condition. Toni no
longer developed headaches after Deep Merge, but Kaesah could tell by the tight
lines around her mate’s eyes that she was weary. She would keep an eye on Toni
tonight and cut dinner short if noticing her start to fatigue.

“We look forward to it.”

“Good.” The officer gave Toni a sharp stare before her image
faded.

Kaesah raised the armrest and gave Toni a hug. “Do not fret so.
Lyrtar Glasa invited us to dine with her and her Navigator and Anchor. If we do
not accept her invitation, she will be offended.”

“I understood she invited us to dine. Lyrtar?
Is that a captain?”

“The title is given to a commander of a ship.”

“She didn’t address me, but she sure gave me the once over.”

“She was curious. I will handle any questions. It would be a
breach of etiquette for her to address you, since you are my subordinate. The
same rules bind her Navigator and Anchor. The Trynt will address me. While she
is a subordinate of the Lyrtar, her rank gives her the special privilege to
speak for herself and mate at these types of functions.”

“Why is it a breach of etiquette if the Lyrtar or Trynt address
me?”

“It is an ancient spacefaring tradition that applies only when in
contact with a military ship. A commander of a military ship is its sole
authority and speaks for the crew. A Trynt assigned a military ship speaks for
her mate. Since I am Trynt of Flowering Star, the Lyrtar will recognize
me as sole authority on this ship, and I will speak for you. ”

Toni made a sour face. “I guess that leaves me as rank and file,
cannon fodder, dogface, buck private, boot, grunt.”

Kaesah hugged Toni again, detecting no rancor. “If that equals to
subordinate, then yes, but only on missions and aboard ship. When we are off
ship and home, I will not be your Trynt and you will not be my dog’s head.”

Toni laughed. “It’s dogface, an old term for a common soldier in
the US military. If you start going all Trynt on me when we return from dinner,
just remember it’s my turn to tie you to the bedposts.” Toni gave a lascivious
waggle of her eyebrows.

Kaesah was disciplined enough not to need tying, often clutching
the covers when in the throes of passion. Yet she knew Toni liked it when she
was bound, as it granted her a measure of power and control, something new to
her. Moreover, Kaesah enjoyed surrendering to her mate as much as she enjoyed
Toni surrendering to her. It pleased Kaesah to know she assisted her Toni in
exploring new sensual horizons, and assisted her in accepting the sexual part
of her nature as an aspect that should be celebrated.

“I obey your orders, my Trynt.” Kaesah hoped dinner would
be of short duration.

****

Toni yanked at the sides of her tan double-breasted uniform tunic,
as she waited with Kaesah at one of the ship’s two docking portals. Despite
Kaesah’s alterations of Atimki’s uniform, it fit tight across her chest, and
the collar chaffed her neck. Toni was disappointed that the tan boots that went
with the uniform didn’t fit, but there was no way she could jam her size six
feet into what were surely size fours. She had to settle for her everyday pair
of black ebebs.

The only adornment her uniform had was a two-inch silver triangle
pinned to her left chest that symbolized an Anchor. Its three sides represented
the Myr, Navigator, and Anchor.

Kaesah told her she looked romantic in her uniform. But Toni
sensed melancholy when Kaesah gazed at her. No doubt, she remembered when
Atimki wore it last.

Kaesah had removed the gold diamond-shaped Trynt pin from Toni’s
uniform and pinned it on the right chest of her own. Fastened to her left chest
was the Navigator’s silver circle with its curved tails symbolizing a stylized comet. The three tails represented the Myr, Navigator, and
Anchor. Tied around her waist was a green, satin sash that designated an
Associate Geneticist. Toni wore no sash as an Apprentice Geneticist was the
lowest class in the Genetics College and one was not assigned.

Toni thought it interesting that nonmilitary branches of
government and science colleges, such as the Genetics College, would have
uniforms. Kaesah had informed her all branches of higher government had
uniforms. Colleges were considered branches of government. Geneticists wore
tan, marine scientists wore aquamarine, geologists wore gray, botanists wore
blue, and there were colors to designate other colleges.

Kaesah had explained NaQwin customs in addressing individuals in a
formal setting. A person’s occupation, title, or rank preceded their name, rank
always taking precedence in most situations. A Merged Pair always used their
role ahead of their name, except for the one who was Trynt. Kaesah would be
addressed as Trynt Kaesah instead of Navigator Kaesah. Toni would be called
Anchor Toni. Senior government officials and those who held the title of Prime
at a college you addressed as Esteemed. Those holding council positions of
various colleges carried the title of Honorable, as did members of the Supreme
Council. You addressed military personnel according to their rank. Toni hoped
she could remember it all.

A sudden boom made Toni startle.

Kaesah touched Toni’s arm. “The skiff is docking. When securely
docked, the portal will open. I will go first down the umbilical and into the
skiff.”

“Okay.” Toni caressed her lips against Kaesah’s, and then deepened
the kiss, inciting a surge of love and desire from her mate. She separated and
gently pushed Kaesah back a step, her smile lopsided. “A sample of the dessert
you’ll get after dinner.”

“You are cruel, my Anchor, to initiate something we cannot
finish.”

“It’ll give you something to look forward to, my Navigator.” Her
thoughts veered from the happy ones of making love to the momentous event about
to occur. She would be introduced to Kaesah’s people in what would be
essentially a first contact scenario. Although, Kaesah had stated they would
not disclose Toni’s origins as she did not want that fact revealed before the
Supreme Council or Council of Geneticists learned of it first. Still, to Toni,
this occasion was historic. She nervously swept her sweaty palms down the sides
of her tunic.

Kaesah ran a hand down Toni’s arm. “Do not fret so. You will be
fine.” She narrowed her eyes and added, “Remember, you must sample every food
item offered. And you will not contort your face like you do when you have
tasted a food you find unpleasant.”

Before Toni could protest, the docking portal opened like a camera
shutter, causing her to jump back in alarm. She watched Kaesah go through the
portal to the skiff where a young, boyish appearing NaQwin dressed in a black
uniform met her. Toni knew looks deceived when it came to telling the age of a
NaQwin. She could be anywhere from her late twenties to near Kaesah’s fifty odd
years. Her black hair was in the same style as the Lyrtar’s, leading Toni to
believe this was a military cut. She was shorter than Kaesah by a couple of
inches.

The woman tapped her forehead with her right hand. “Greetings,
Trynt Kaesah.” Her voice was adult and feminine. “And greetings to your Anchor.
I am Dan Vos Migel Briel Kalla, Torren and lead pilot of Arrow Moon.
Enter and be seated.”

Kaesah stated her full name and rank, then imparted Toni’s name
and titles. Kaesah glanced back and motioned with her head for Toni to follow
as she entered the skiff, Torren Kalla stepping aside.

Toni gaped at the incredible vista. The skiff’s interior appeared
to consist of nothing but a platform open to space with a view of the Dydus
nebula looming like a thundercloud with its colors of violets and purples that
seemed to fold inward and billow out. Silhouetted before the nebula was a
gigantic, spiraled shell with lights shimmering along its length in deep reds
and rose. Unfurled ribbons of Myr feed tubes fluttered languidly as if moved by
a breeze, the movement solely of the Myr’s making, as no atmosphere existed.

“Toni, come.” Kaesah, breaking the spell, urged Toni forward to
take a seat next to her. “I agree. The scene is magnificent.”

The pilot marched past, mounted two steps to the cockpit, and once
seated, headed the skiff toward their rendezvous.

Toni watched Arrow Moon grow closer. “At first, I thought
we were truly open to space, then realized this hull
is transparent.”

“Breathing vacuum is not conducive to a long life.”

“I bet.” Toni glanced back in an effort to see Flowering Star,
but the back compartment was solid. She faced Kaesah. “Is Arrow Moon a
bigger ship? It’s hard to tell with nothing but the nebula in the background.”

“Two and one half times larger
than Flowering Star. The crew numbers around eighty. There are also various weapons
arrays and other sections not found on a research ship.”

As the skiff drew nearer to its destination, Arrow Moon’s
hull blotted out the nebula; the only light was that which emanated in an
iridescent cascade of deep red from its dusky rose hued hull. A part of the
hull swirled open as if it were a rosebud unfurling. The skiff decelerated and
entered into an airlock, the port closing behind it. Toni saw another portal
open ahead.

The skiff exited into a cavernous auxiliary craft bay with
platforms and catwalks.

Parked alongside a few catwalks and held aloft with their onboard
antigravity generators, were sleek, elongated spacecraft that seemed twice the
size of the skiff.

“What type of ships are
those?” Toni pointed toward a group of them.

“They are battle fighters renowned for their maneuverability. When
an enemy fleet, or ship, is detected, Arrow Moon’s sensors would locate
an enemy’s radio wave length frequencies, and the Navigator will leap the Myr
to the vicinity. These fighters leave the ship and wreak havoc among an enemy
fleet in a lightning strike.”

“Then it doesn’t have to be stars or nebulae that a Myr leaps to?”

“Correct. Myrs will leap to the vicinity of any radio signal
transmitted to them by their Navigator.”

The skiff sidled against a platform and stopped. Torren Kalla
swiftly marched past them, pressed a symbol on the bulkhead, the skiff door
sliding open. She addressed Kaesah. “Trynt Kaesah, if you and your Anchor will
follow me.”

They exited onto a platform and proceeded along its length until
they came to a set of double doors. Torren Kalla pressed a symbol on the wall
that opened a door and stepped through ahead of them into a wide corridor.

The walls of the ship were like Flowering Star’s, white
with lights pulsating under the surface. The corridor ran for about forty feet
until they came to a juncture. Torren Kalla turned left down a corridor, Toni
and Kaesah right behind.

Ahead against the wall stood a group of around a dozen NaQwins who
observed them intently. Or to be more precise, Toni saw their eyes fixed not on
Kaesah, but on her. They wore gray shirts and snug fitting gray pants. To Toni,
their slim frames, close-cropped hair like military men on Earth wore, and
short statures, made them appear boyish and about twelve years old. Torren
Kalla stopped and spoke to them, which brought them to attention, eyes focused
straight ahead. Toni thought they must be the rank and file.

She glanced to her left at some of the crew, noticing her height
topped the tallest of them by at least two or three inches. This made her feel
strange as she was considered on the short side by most Earth standards. Their
dark eyes examined her with curiosity. She bet these crew members would have
plenty to talk about for a while. No telling what strange stories would
circulate among the crew as to her origins.

They came to the end of the corridor where a door slid open.
Torren Kalla faced Kaesah. “Trynt Kaesah, it was an honor to escort you and
your Anchor.”

“We are honored to have had you as our escort.”

Kalla pivoted to go, paused, and gave Toni a thorough once over.
Toni caught her eye and winked, seeing the officer’s face darken as she quickly
broke eye contact and scurried past.

An effusive and friendly voice drew Toni’s attention. “I welcome
you and your Anchor aboard Arrow Moon, Trynt Kaesah.” Toni peered over
Kaesah’s head to Lyrtar Glasa, who continued. “Enter.” She motioned with her
hands.

Toni followed Kaesah inside the room, and immediately noticed the
transparent, vaulted ceiling, with its view of a ship she guessed was Flowering
Star.

So mesmerized was she with the ship’s flow of lights across its
surface and waving feed tubes, she bumped into Kaesah. “Sorry,” she muttered,
relieved she sensed no annoyance from her mate.

Toni noticed that Glasa was around the same height as Kaesah.
Next, she observed the two individuals who stood beside Glasa and surveyed her
with curiosity. Both women wore black uniforms with appropriate pins, their
hair cut in the officer style.

The woman next to Glasa moved her eyes away from Toni to Kaesah,
her voice friendly. “Welcome to you and your Anchor, Trynt Kaesah. I am Nasu
Vos Yas Briel Ollara, Trynt and Anchor of Arrow Moon.” She indicated the
dark brown-skinned woman next to her. “My Navigator, Kraes Vos Renot Briel
Domwis.”

The Navigator seemed close to Toni in height, which would be above
average for a NaQwin, her eyes light brown. She looked to be near her age. The
other two women appeared to be in their forties, if Toni judged them by Earth
standards of age.

“I am Rije Vos Zun Briel Kaesah, Associate Geneticist, Navigator,
and Trynt of the research ship Flowering Star.” Kaesah indicated Toni
with a glance. “This is Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice Geneticist and
Anchor of Flowering Star. We are honored to be invited to dine with
you.”

Three pairs of eyes focused on Toni. She felt her face heat,
knowing her cheeks glowed as bright red as a
stoplight.

“Let us dine,” Glasa said. “I have a selection of delicacies and
drink I am certain will please your palate.” The group followed her to a table
surrounded by cushions where she directed Kaesah to the table’s right side. Arrow
Moon’s Navigator and Anchor were seated on the left side. At the table’s
head, close to Kaesah, the Lyrtar sat.

The table had one cafeteria tray-sized, rectangular plate on each
side with two napkins folded in a rosette shape beside them, along with
fingerbowls, knives, and two-pronged forks. Two goblets were next to each
plate. Glasa had a single plate.

Toni surveyed around, taking in a colorful mural that adorned one
wall and depicted nature scenes of forests, mountains, and rivers. Animals
comparable to Earth’s deer and llamas, except in shades of blue and green,
wandered about. Exotic birds flitted among trees and flew in a pink tinted sky.
A globe of banded lavender and orange loomed above the scene. Toni recognized
it as the planet Pasokal from a video she had watched. She thought this was the
moon, Sitso, as flora and fauna resembled those in pictures she had seen of it.

The swish of a door sliding open drew her attention away from the
mural, and she watched as four young NaQwins entered. They wore black uniforms
and their hair was shorn close to their scalps. Three carried trays holding
platters of steaming food. They stopped behind Kaesah, and the one with hands
free removed a platter from a tray, knelt by Kaesah’s side, and put it before
her.

A familiar smell caught Toni’s nose. She couldn’t quash her grin
when she saw that the platter held a huge baked fish. Toni didn’t care that the
fish still had its head attached. What she liked was that she would feast on
something besides grains, vegetables, and fruit. If she couldn’t have a juicy
steak, seafood was the next best thing.

****

Kaesah removed the serving spatula from the platter and heard Toni
whisper in English next to her ear, “Lots of fish, please.” She used the
spatula’s serrated edge to cut off the fish’s head and shovel it on the plate.

“Gross. Not the head,” Toni whispered.

Kaesah pondered this reaction for a moment. Fish heads were a
delicacy, the eyeballs and brain particularly tasty. She moved the fish head to
her part of the plate, cut a portion of the body, placing it on Toni’s side of
the plate. The platter was whisked away and a bowl of steamed grain put by her.
She spooned up two servings of grain, the dish then replaced with another dish.

It was customary at formal meals for the main guest to serve
herself and subordinates first. Trynt Ollara would serve herself and her mate.
The main host, Lyrtar Glasa, would be last and serve herself.

After Kaesah took a portion of each eight items, the server set a
pitcher of drink by her. All four servers moved to the other side of the table
and served Arrow Moon’s Trynt and Navigator.

Kaesah filled Toni’s goblet with drink, then poured some for herself. The liquid was a clear pink, indicating a fermented
fruit juice.

She waited until the others filled their plates before using her
fingers to scoop up a tiny amount of steamed grain, placing it in her mouth.
This granted her hosts permission to start eating.

Kaesah noticed Toni eagerly tear into the fish with her fingers,
hearing her make a muffled sound of enjoyment after the first bite.

Taking her knife, Kaesah cut loose an eye from the fish head and
deposited it on Toni’s side of the plate. She sensed her mate’s repugnance,
hearing her mutter, “Eeew. Gross.” Clearly, Toni did not deem fish eyes a
delicacy. Kaesah plucked it up, plopped it into her own mouth, enjoying the
flavor, but once again detected Toni’s revulsion. Something about a fish head
revolted her mate. When they returned to Flowering Star, she would
question Toni about this.

A taste of her drink indicated it was a strong, sweet wine. She
saw Toni take numerous swigs of her drink.

They continued eating in silence when Kaesah sensed some
displeasure and unease from Toni. She wondered what caused this and glanced up
to find Domwis staring at her mate with her attention fixed to a point under
Toni’s head. Kaesah became annoyed when she realized the Navigator had her eyes
pinned on Toni’s breasts. She grabbed the pitcher of wine, and moved her hand
in front of Toni to get her goblet to refill. This moved Domwis’ attention to
Kaesah, who sent her a sharp glare, which was effective in directing her eyes
back to her plate.

As was customary, Kaesah declared, “Lyrtar Glasa, the food is
delicious.” This would start conversation, freeing the Lyrtar and Trynt to ask
her questions.

“It pleases me that you find our food adequate.” Glasa studied
Toni. “Your Anchor? Is our food to her liking?”

Kaesah gave Toni a lift of her brow, wanting to know if she
understood the question.

Toni said to Kaesah in careful, but incorrect NaQwin with a heavy
accent, “The food I find to my most liking.”

Kaesah gave her a brief smile before turning her attention back to
Glasa. “My Anchor finds the food delicious.” Kaesah took a sip of her drink.
“Tell me, Lyrtar, how goes NaQwi?”

“How long have you been away?”

“A little over two years.”

“Let me see. The last news I received from a relay ship was a kazu
ago. There were no major earthquakes or storms. Wait, last summer a cyclone did
hit many islands in NaQwi Nali’s northern hemisphere, causing damage to crops
and structures. Fortunately, no lives were lost. Six kazus ago, Xisos had a
major forest fire in a portion of one of its conifer forests sparked by
lightning that did a lot of damage. Two lives were lost and a town destroyed.”
She paused. “Ah, yes. The Chumpa Ambassador’s clutch of four eggs hatched a
year ago. All the young ones are fine.”

“May they have good health and a contented life,” Kaesah recited
an ancient NaQwin blessing.

Ollara imparted more news. “Nineteen new ships were built, eight
of these freighters, the rest for exploration. Exploration ships were divided
among a few science colleges. The Genetics College received no allocation of
any new ships this round.”

“We received one three rounds ago. I do not expect we will receive
another one until two more rounds.” Kaesah diverted her attention to Toni who
tipped her goblet in a manner indicating she wanted a refill.

Ollara continued. “Trynt Kaesah, your records in our ship’s files
state that you were Merged with Fela Vos Onare Briel
Atimki who held the rank of Trynt of Flowering Star.”

Kaesah filled Toni’s goblet, then fixed her eyes on Ollara. “Trynt
Atimki died while in service to NaQwi. Drozt took her.”

Her hosts offered condolences, bowing their heads. They resumed
eating. After a minute, Ollara once again questioned Kaesah. “Trynt Kaesah,
your Anchor is not NaQwin, but she must possess the ability to Deep Merge or
you would not be here. What species is she and how is it she can Deep Merge?”

Kaesah sensed anxiety from Toni. Kaesah knew the possibility
existed that this question would be asked, and had prepared an answer. “Trynt
Ollara, I mean no disrespect, but that, for now, is business for the Council of
Geneticists and Supreme Council.”

“Say no more, Trynt Kaesah.” Glasa sent a stern stare to her
Anchor. Ollara dipped her head in acquiescence with an expression far from
pleased.

Now was an opportune time for Kaesah to ask Glasa for a favor. “Lyrtar. Might I inquire when the next relay ship is due? I
have important information I wish to forward to the Supreme Council and Council
of Geneticists.”

“Arrow Moon leaps to one of our main bases located closer
to NaQwi on the morrow. I can offer my services to transmit any information as
a priority to the Council of Geneticists and Supreme Council by one of our
base’s relay ships. Your information should reach NaQwi within four knosis. On
my honor, it will remain unseen by any eyes save for those intended.”

This information satisfied Kaesah, as she wanted to forward the
evidence she and Atimki had compiled pertaining to the Urtye situation. This
would include the necessity of why she selected Toni as Anchor. The Supreme
Council and Council of Geneticists would be prepared with any questions they
had, which could cut through delays in seeing her family once she was home. By using
relay ships, the report would reach NaQwi approximately ten knosis ahead of
their arrival. “I accept your offer, Lyrtar Glasa. I will transfer the report
when I return to Flowering Star.”

“Good.” Glasa let her gaze linger on Toni before returning it to
Kaesah. “Now, I have a special treat for dessert that I am certain will delight
you and your Anchor.”

Kaesah surreptitiously patted Toni’s leg, knowing she would feel
her relief.

****

Kaesah kept pace with Toni’s longer but somewhat wobbly stride as
they headed down the corridor to the arboretum. She sensed irritation from
Toni, as well as smelled alcohol on her breath when she slowed and twisted her
head toward Kaesah.

“Could you believe that Lyrtar,” Toni fumed, her words slightly
slurred and Southern accent more pronounced. “And that
Navigator, what’s her face…Dim…Dimwit? They were like males. Worse, in fact. I’ve never had a man ogle my breasts the way
those two did. You’d think I was deformed or somethin’. What was with those
two?”

“Calm down. I saw them stare once. They were curious.”

“Curious hell. They were rude. Downright rude. I should’ve charged them a fee to look.”
Toni stopped in midstride, held her breasts up, and gazed down at them. “I know
I’m…” She squeezed and jiggled them, “bigger than y’all NaQwins, but that was
no excuse for rudeness.” This action both fascinated and stimulated Kaesah.
Toni went on with her rant. “Then there were those dogfaces. They stared at me
comin’ aboard ship and leavin’. I bet me being an alien wasn’t the cause. They
were also checkin’ out my boobies.”

Kaesah tried not to laugh, but it burst from between her lips and
through her nose, and she had to let it out.

Toni’s glare blazed bright blue. “It’s not funny.” She leaned
against the corridor wall and laughed. Toni wiped her eyes. “I guess it’s kinda
funny. Back on Earth my breasts aren’t anythin’ to rave about.”

“Compared to those of NaQwins, your breasts are considerably
larger.”

“No shit, Sherlock. It’s not like I can help it.”

“They were probably wondering where we stashed our baby.”
Kaesah tried to maintain a serious expression. To tease Toni when her faculties
were impaired was not nice. Still, she could not resist returning Toni’s past
teasing of her.

Toni’s mouth dropped open for an instant. “You have gotta be
kiddin’ me. You don’t really believe they think we have a baby onboard…do you?”

It was all Kaesah could do to stifle a giggle. “Who knows? It also
may not have been anything sexual. Then again, it could have been.” The thought
that their hosts’ stares were sexual in nature made her jealous. The privilege
and right to admire Toni in that way belonged to her exclusively. She muffled
her jealousy, not wanting Toni to sense it.

Kaesah inspected Toni’s chest and said with a lascivious leer, “I
certainly find pleasure in looking at your breasts.”

Toni rolled her eyes. “I knew it. Just like a man. An infantile
reaction to big breasts derived from a psychological association from being
breast fed by mommy.” Toni resumed a fast pace down the corridor, Kaesah trying
to keep up.

Kaesah considered Toni’s statement. She had no knowledge of any
psychological research that pertained to preferences of breast size. NaQwins
did not go around obsessing about anatomy. Kaesah did enjoy looking at a nicely
balanced female body. Toni did not have the ideal slender NaQwin body type, but
her more defined thighs and breasts were nicely balanced. She found it
pleasurable to nuzzle her face on Toni’s breasts and between them, as well as
feel their weight and size in her hands. However, she did not associate those
activities with being a baby and her wana nursing her—did she? She shoved that
bizarre thought aside.

They entered the arboretum and went in their sleep room where Toni
threw herself down on the bed, gazed up at Kaesah, her lips in a pout. “You
don’t think they’re freakish, do you? They’re just B cups.” She pressed her
breasts down. “I need a sports bra to smash them down.” Kaesah was pinned with
an accusing glare. “Why don’t you wear a bra? I bet not a one of y’all NaQwins
wears one. I bet there’s not a bra to be found anywhere on this side of the
Milky Way.”

Kaesah wondered if Toni knew what effect alcohol had on her. A
sudden pang of guilt struck her. She should have been more diligent in
monitoring Toni’s intake, as she had not fully recovered from Deep Merge. She
plopped down by Toni and started to open her tunic. “They are not freakish,
they are beautiful. Let me see your beauties.”

Toni pushed her hands away. “No way, Jose.
All y’all NaQwins think Earth girls are easy.” Toni snorted out a laugh. “Get
it? Earth Girls Are Easy.”

Kaesah did not get it.

Toni’s expression became a frown, face suddenly pale. Kaesah heard
an audible gulp. Toni choked out, “I think I’m gonna be sick.” Toni shot up
from bed and bolted out of the room. Kaesah hastened after her mate, stopping
at the ablution room entrance, and watched while Toni retched and vomited into
an elimination hole.

Kaesah thought the consequences of imbibing too much alcohol were,
perhaps, universal.

Chapter Twenty-four

"Come here my pretties, come to momma,” Toni coaxed while
lying on her bare stomach with a fish food pellet pinched between her thumb and
forefinger, barely touching it to the water’s surface. “That’s right, yummy,
yum, yum.” She let go of the pellet as a hungry fish, a good-sized purple one,
yanked it. The fish scooted away with its booty, a few others in the school
chasing after for their share.

Glancing to where the waterfall was, she saw Kaesah sitting in her
usual meditation spot, sans clothes, as was she, clearly in that peaceful place
one goes to when deep in meditation. The place Toni rarely achieved when she
meditated. She couldn’t seem to get comfortable.

Two days ago, Kaesah had suggested she remove her clothes, telling
her the body in its natural state was more susceptible to relaxing. The method
might work for Kaesah, but it didn’t work for her. But, Toni had to admit she
did enjoy running ‘round nekkid in the arboretum surrounded by trees and
flowers. It was freeing, and felt downright wicked and wild, especially when
she and Kaesah cuddled in the ferns beneath the nebula’s glow.

The school of fish swam back to Toni for another handout. A sly
expression emerged on her face as she slid her hands with stealth beneath the
water’s surface, keeping them some two feet apart. She moved them in a slow
pincer motion toward a big, red fella. She delicately caressed the fish’s
underbelly. Her Grandpa called this trout tickling and had taught it to her.
With fondness, she remembered the times visiting him and her grandma in North
Carolina for three weeks each summer. They had died two months apart when Toni
was nineteen.

She moved her hands in an even motion up to the fish’s head,
tightened her grip around its gill area, and pulled it from the water. “Gotcha my pretty.”

“You will not eat my shumuk!”

Toni lost her grip on the slippery body, the fish flopping back
into the water to dart away. She rolled onto her back and peered up to see an
irate Kaesah standing over her in all her naked glory with a gleam in her eyes
and a frown. Except the emotion Kaesah emanated was affection, instead of
anger.

“I didn’t want to eat it, just play with it.” She knew Kaesah
would feel the truth in her words.

“Shumuks are to be admired, not played with as if they were fuzzy
mammalian pets.” Kaesah inhaled deeply, which made her small breasts prominent,
causing Toni’s mouth to pucker with desire to suckle a plump nipple.

Continuing to eye Kaesah’s breasts, Toni said nasally, “Yes,
dear.”

Kaesah plopped down half on Toni and nipped her ear lobe. She
hugged Toni, kissing her with a loud smack on the mouth, then caught Toni’s
bottom lip with her teeth, pulled it out and lightly bit. Toni wondered if
nipping and biting were a part of NaQwin love play, or something specific to
Kaesah. It didn’t hurt much and no blood was drawn. She rather enjoyed it.
Maybe she should nip and bite Kaesah.

“You are impertinent.” Kaesah gave Toni’s breasts a light squeeze.
“It is yes, dear Trynt.”

“Hmm, I guess it’s my turn to be tied to the bedposts.” Toni drew
Kaesah on top of her, feeling her mate’s smooth skin and the emotion of love.

Kaesah’s half-smile and the way she let her eyelids hood her eyes
lent her face a lascivious expression. “Truth, my Anchor.” She then tried for a
serious tone. “As Trynt, I order you not to seduce my shumuks.”

“Seduce?” Toni leered. “That sounds kinda kinky to me.”

“Rubbing the underside of a female geb fish mimics the action of
the male when he rubs against her in mating and induces her to relax. This
makes it easy to take her from the water. The ripe roe is tasty. We also use
this trick to catch other fish.”

“It’s an Earth trick too. We call it tickling. Have you ever
seduced a fish?” Toni ran a strand of Kaesah’s black hair through her hand,
loving its silky and heavy feel.

“Of course I have. My home is but a few steps from the ocean. I
learned that trick as a child.”

“What other seducing tricks do you know?” Toni gave Kaesah her
best come hither look, caressed her hands the length of Kaesah’s back to the
buttocks and back up, feeling her mate’s burgeoning arousal.

“I know many,” Kaesah said with a throaty purr. Her expression
became forlorn. “How unfortunate that we cannot stop time for me to show you
what tricks I know. We Deep Merge in three mots and do not need to be exhausted
when we do so.”

“That time already? Can’t we delay it a day?” Toni tried for a sexy
expression.

“It has been six days since our last leap, and you have rested. At
any time a military ship could arrive and invite us to dine.”

“Say no more. I don’t want to have to run a gauntlet of boob
curious dogfaces and be subjected to a boob inspection at dinner.”

“Truth. That was not my thought. I do
not want any more questions as to who you are. The less people who know of you,
and my return, the less chance of rumor spreading to the populace.”

“We’re leaping to a gas giant that orbits a red star, aren’t we?”

“Yes. The star’s name is Yasto and the planet is Thon.”

“Since Thon is closer to NaQwi, won’t a lot of other ships be there?
If invited aboard one to dine, would we have to go?”

“It will probably be merchant ships, perhaps a few scientific
ones. We can decline invitations if there is more than one ship. The reason I
accepted the invitation to dine aboard Arrow Moon, was because it was
the sole ship at this nebula.”

“What a relief. That lets us off the hook.”

“However—”

“Uh huh. I should have known a caveat
lurked around to ambush me.” Toni lolled her head to one side, crossed her
eyes, and stuck out her tongue.

Kaesah laughed. “My Toni, you are funny.” She kissed the tip of
Toni’s nose. “If there is a ship in the service of geneticists, we are
obligated to accept an invitation. If there is more than one ship and we
receive many invitations, we are obligated to accept the one from the most
senior ranked geneticist.”

“I guess if geneticists’ ships are there, and we accept a dinner
invitation from one, I’ll play the role of ‘little woman’ and let you talk for
me.”

“Little woman? You are taller than I am and taller than most NaQwins.”

“It’s a pun. A human male will sometimes use the term for his
wife, often said in a flippant way. So, will you do the talking for me?”

“The custom of a Trynt speaking for her mate only applies when in
contact with military ships.”

“I forgot.” Trying to remember NaQwin customs of etiquette and
addressing people in a formal way made Toni’s head spin. “Still, I hope no
geneticists are there and invite us to dine. I don’t want to have to dress up
in a too tight uniform and have my assets stared at while I’m eating.”

“I assure you that will not happen. We of the Genetics College
have more what you on Urtye call—class—than those in the military.”

Toni controlled the urge to laugh at Kaesah’s elitist remark.
Snobbery, it seemed, wasn’t only a human trait.

Chapter Twenty-five

As soon as they arrived at the yellow gas giant, Thon, the
omni-unit announced, “Greetings from Zenith Star, Moon Sea, Swift
Comet, Moon Flowering, Bold Sun, Splendid Sun, Promising
Dawn, and Ocean Star. Genetics College ship Bright Nova is
within communication range.”

Kaesah sighed in consternation as she removed the transmitter from
her temple.

“What’s wrong?” Toni asked, picking up Kaesah’s disquiet.

“Bright Nova’s Trynt is Honorable Agala, one of the seven
members of the Council of Geneticists.”

“They haven’t sent out a greeting. How does the omni-unit know
what ship it is?”

“A NaQwin ship is
automatically detected by other NaQwin ships when it has arrived in the same
area. Some ships send out greetings as a courtesy. Also, Genetics College ships
will notify other Genetics College ships of their presence. Bright Nova
is a teaching ship. Honorable Agala is a mentor as is her Anchor, Esteemed
Yila. They would know of my original mission and will contact me to find out
why I am here. They have either completed a mission or are beginning one.”
Kaesah disengaged the arm shield and gave Toni a reassuring squeeze of her
hand. “Do not fret so.”

“That’s hard not to do, when I can sense discomfort from you.”

“Bright Nova to Trynt Atimki of Flowering Star,
stand by for transmission on secure channel,” the omni-unit announced.

Kaesah inhaled deeply, her anxiety increasing when she thought
about Honorable Agala. Agala would want a full report as to what transpired,
and an explanation as to why Toni was Anchor and her mate.

“Do you want me to leave while you talk to them?” Toni asked.
“Obviously, they expect to see Atimki as Trynt and Anchor.”

Kaesah increased her grip on Toni’s hand and firmed her voice with
surety. “You are my Anchor and my mate. You will stay.”

Toni smiled, Kaesah sensing her satisfaction.

Kaesah continued. “Since I know Honorable Agala and Esteemed Yila,
I will not be required to use my full name. You will need to use your full name
and titles when introduced.”

“Got it. What’s taking them so long?”

“They are probably going to the bridge for privacy.” Kaesah held
no doubt that Esteemed Agala perceived Flowering Star’s early return as
portending a matter of importance.

“Bright Nova is requesting communication,” the omni-unit
announced.

“Omni-unit, open communication
with Bright Nova.” A view of space materialized in front of the command chair. For
an instant, the scene paused on the yellow gas giant where dozens of ships were
outlined against it before it switched to a view of two individuals sitting in
a command chair. Honorable Agala sat in the Navigator’s side, her cropped,
white hair framing a sharp-featured face. Anchor Yila’s black hair was shot
with silver, an ahjon of garnet beads around her head.

“Good journey, Honorable Agala and Esteemed Yila, from Flowering
Star’s Trynt and her Anchor.” She loosened her grip from Toni’s hand to tap
her forehead with her fingers.

Bright Nova’s Merged pair inspected them with
surprise, Kaesah seeing their eyes dart from her to Toni.

“Navigator Kaesah, where is Trynt Atimki?” Honorable Agala asked.

“Trynt Atimki died while in service to NaQwi. Drozt took her.”

Bright Nova’s Merged pair looked shocked, then bowed
their heads. “I am sad for you,” Honorable Agala said. “And
sad for our college. Sister Atimki will be mourned. We will honor her.”
Her attention and that of Yila focused on Toni, the two scrutinizing her.

“Who are you?” Agala asked.

Toni tapped her forehead. “I am Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni,
Apprentice Geneticist and Anchor of Flowering Star.”

Two pairs of eyebrows rose in obvious surprise before Honorable
Agala returned the customary introduction. “I am Osenni Vos Casa Briel Agala,
Prime Geneticist, member of the Council of Geneticists, Trynt, and Navigator of
Bright Nova.”

“I am Lingilal Vos Qwinlas Briel Yila, Prime Geneticist and Anchor
of Bright Nova.”

“It is an honor to meet you both.”

A pause as dark eyes assessed Toni with curiosity. Then Agala
focused her attention on Kaesah. “Your Anchor is unexpected, as is your
return.”

“I have important news that pertains to matters of security for
NaQwi,” Kaesah said. Agala’s features froze, Kaesah noticing her eyes widen.

“We will discuss this in private,” Agala said. “First, I request
to read Flowering Star’s logs and any reports concerning this situation
before we meet.”

“I will send them by secure channel right away.”

“Good. Come to my ship in four mots.”

“Understood, Honorable Agala.” When the image faded, Kaesah
slid over to Toni and hugged her. “You, my treasured one, can cause even a
member of the Council of Geneticists to lose her poise.”

“That might not be a good thing. Why does she want to see you on
her ship, and in private?”

“She is being extra cautious. Even though we used a secure channel
she does not want to take chances, even if remote, that someone could listen
in. I also think she wants to question me face to face and ask me personal
questions, many of which will concern you.”

“What will you tell her about me?”

Kaesah detected a bit of worry from her mate and got up from the
chair, and pulled Toni up into her arms. “I will tell her I love you and that
you are a most satisfactory mate.” Toni’s love surged through her. “A most satisfactory mate, indeed.”

****

“Lal docked. Debarking safe,” the onboard computer intoned.
Kaesah shut down Lal’s engines. The closer she had drawn to Bright
Nova, and farther from Toni, she began to feel empty and hoped soon to
return to her mate.

She went to the forward side door, and pressed the open button.
With a deft motion, she fingered the Trynt emblem on her uniform to make
certain it was securely fastened. The door slid open and she stepped into the
umbilical that connected Lal to one of Bright Nova’s hull docking
ports. Honorable Agala stood at the end of the umbilical, Kaesah noticing that
she was not in uniform but wore a cream tunic and brown pants.

Honorable Agala’s bright eyes skimmed Kaesah’s uniform before she
smiled cordially. “Welcome aboard Bright Nova, Trynt Kaesah.” She
motioned down the corridor. “If you will come this way, we will go to a room
where we can talk in private. My Anchor is conducting laboratory classes for
our two students, so we will not be disturbed.”

“My gratitude, most Honorable
One.”

Agala made a dismissive motion with her hand. “Let us forgo
formalities. Trynt Agala will do.”

“Thank you, Trynt Agala.” Kaesah accompanied her down the
corridor, heading for the arboretum, which would be situated in the
corresponding location as that of Flowering Star’s, since ships of this
class were built on the same design. They entered into an arboretum that had
squat trees with enormous, spreading branches and massive trunks. A round
fountain some ten feet in diameter was the focal point, its center piece a
five-foot high bronze fish that spewed water from its mouth.

They reached a room where Agala motioned her inside. Once they
were in the room, Kaesah surveyed around, seeing ten cushions on the deck in an
orderly row situated in front of a dais with a roomy mat on it. This was
similar to a typical classroom one saw at home.

Agala stepped onto the dais where she sat on the mat. “Sit up here
with me.” She motioned with her head to a spot across from her.

After Kaesah seated herself, Agala picked
up a squat teapot from a hotplate next to the mat and filled one of three
teacups that sat on a tray. She grasped the cup by her fingertips and held it
out at head level. “Sister Atimki, good journey to you, may Destiny bring you
nearer to fulfillment in your purpose.”

She sipped from the cup, and then handed it to Kaesah who also
held it with her fingertips at head level. “Atimki, good
journey to you.” Kaesah took a drink and handed the cup back to Agala
who filled the other two cups, handing one to Kaesah. For a minute, they
savored the tea, a rare blend from various plants grown on Terom, and a guarded
secret as to what herbs it contained.

Agala regarded Kaesah evenly. “I have read highlights of the logs
and reports you sent. First, let me say, you handled the encounter with Arrow
Moon in an acceptable manner. For now, anything pertaining to Flowering
Star’s mission to Urtye and identity of your Anchor must be kept secret. I
know the crew of Arrow Moon saw your Anchor. Rumors will spread. The
species that have ambassadors in our capital will hear them, and they may reach
the Phlurx. Nevertheless, these rumors will amount to nothing more than
speculations.”

Kaesah dipped her head in acknowledgement.

Agala continued. “The Supreme Council will summon you, perhaps
your Anchor also, to ask questions. I am sure they will address any infractions
of our laws. My opinion is that your actions were necessary for the well-being
of NaQwi. I believe our Council and the Supreme Council will support these
actions. Events on Urtye could reach a crisis at any time. These events could
prove to have a detrimental effect on our species in the future.”

“It was Atimki who noted the possibility that the Phlurx might
discover our genetic material and link it to our ability to Deep Merge.”

“Sister Atimki was a remarkable woman, and she will receive
acclaim.” Agala sighed. “If the Phlurx discover our genes, they will eventually
learn from where they originate and that they allow us to link with a Myr. They
will attempt to capture a Myr and use Urtynes with our genes, or use our genes
to create hybrids, to link with a Myr. You have already proven that an Urtyne
with our genes can successfully Deep Merge.”

“What will our Supreme Council do?”

“I am not in a position to speculate on what actions the Supreme
Council will take.” Agala studied Kaesah for a moment. “Your Anchor, this
Urtyne, tell me about her.”

“Toni is inquisitive as well as intelligent and learns quickly.
Her soul is gentle and caring. She possesses much bravery and honor. I am
honored she is my Anchor and my mate.” Kaesah was unable to stop her smile.

Agala gave her a knowing smile. “I see.” She took another sip of
tea. “We of the Genetics College will want to examine her and collect samples.
I am positive the exobiology branch of the Medical College will also want to
examine her. Will she be agreeable?”

“If I am present with her, yes, I think she will be agreeable.”
Kaesah’s voice became adamant as she pinned Agala with a stern stare that held
a deeper meaning. “She will be treated with respect. I will not tolerate any
disrespect of her.”

The expression on Agala’s face registered surprise, then her
features became severe. Kaesah knew she bordered on insubordination, but she
would not allow any disrespectful treatment of her mate.

“You are impudent.” Agala then grinned. “Your loyalty is
commendable. I would feel the same.” She relaxed her features. “Our college
will treat her with respect. Since she is your mate, we on the Council of
Geneticists will make it known any disrespect to her is a slur to you and to
our honor. That alone will deter any college from treating her dishonorably.”

“And the Supreme Council, is it your opinion they will treat my
mate with respect?” The muscles in Kaesah’s body went taut with nervousness as
she waited for Agala’s reply.

“The Supreme Council members are honorable. I am confident they
will recognize your Anchor’s bravery in assisting you as a noble deed, and as
an important service to NaQwi.”

Agala’s words banished many of Kaesah’s concerns, and tenseness
that had held her body let go.

Agala continued. “My mission is complete, and I will depart for
NaQwi Nali tomorrow with the information I have received, although, the
information you sent to NaQwi has probably already reached proper hands. I will
present our Council with my insight. Our Council will want to meet with you. I
will arrange this for a time after the Supreme Council has completed their
transactions with you.”

“Understood, Trynt Agala.”

“There is another matter. I was Atimki’s mentor when she held the
position of Associate Geneticist. I wish to be your mentor.”

“I am honored.” To have a member of the Council of Geneticists as
her mentor was a great honor.

“Good.” Agala’s features became stern. “When introductions were
made, your mate referred to herself as an Apprentice Geneticist. Explain this to
me.”

A sudden lump stuck in Kaesah’s throat, and she swallowed hard. “I
assigned her this title because I am mentoring her in genetics.” She was
relieved her voice sounded normal. “I intended it as an honorary one. I meant
no disrespect to our college.”

“I am sure you did not.” Agala’s expression was now amused. “It
will be a good idea for her to continue to use that title since it will not
raise suspicions why one who is not a geneticist is Merged
to you.”

Kaesah released the breath she held. “I will continue to do so.”

“Be here at fifteen mots. No need for uniforms, this will be an
informal meal among colleagues. My two trainees will be present and may ask you
questions. Use discretion when answering them. They do not know of Flowering
Star’s mission to Urtye, as it was Council business. If my students become
too inquisitive, I will stop them.”

Agala paused, a shrewd expression on her face. “I propose we start
a rumor of our own. Your Anchor is from Hulos. Her appearance is from genetic
changes accelerated by that planet’s environment.” Agala chortled and added,
“She could be purple with orange stripes, and we could still say she came from
Hulos.”

“Understood, Trynt Agala. I will discuss this with Toni
and give her some history and background on Hulos.” Kaesah thought the
background story of Hulos was a good one. The NaQwin colony was founded
thirteen thousand years ago, but contact ceased during the Buliisa Wars. When
contact resumed, Hulos had gone its own way in establishing a separate
identity. Hulosians tended to be isolationists, although on rare occasions a
few enterprising Hulosian traders showed up in the NaQwi system. Environmental
factors of their planet had modified their genes, many being slightly taller in
stature when compared to NaQwins, and having lighter skin color.

“Good.” Agala’s tone became light. “I am sending you back to your
Anchor. I am certain she is eager to see you.”

****

The jaunty, Celtic sounding dance tune didn’t ease Toni’s
hollowness. She lay on her back in a bed of blue ferns, viewing the scene
above. Her attention focused on a small, cone-shaped ship she thought was Bright
Nova, at least a mile away, and among a dozen or so ships silhouetted by
Thon. She had hoped her and Kaesah’s empathic range would stretch the distance
and keep them linked.

Closing her eyes, she focused inward to examine this feeling. It
was not the sharp rending of her heart as when Lisa died, that poignant empty
ache that had gobbled her down into blackness. This feeling was as if she lost
a part of herself, that she lacked something vital. If separation from Kaesah
were ever permanent, she could survive, but only in a shadow land of washed out
hues, life losing its color and taste.

“Lal has departed Bright Nova. Destination, Flowering
Star,” the omni-unit stopped the music to announce in NaQwin, startling
Toni. With a surge of excitement, she sat up and scooted nearer a
data-converter, hoping Kaesah would contact her. Suddenly, a projection of
Kaesah’s smiling face hovered above the device. Toni rapidly pressed a green
button on the device that would allow Kaesah to see and hear her.

“Beloved one, I missed you.” Kaesah’s voice was sincere, her smile
tender.

“I missed you, darlin’.” She choked back tears. “I need you.”

“I need you. I am approaching the bay portal.”

Toni jumped to her feet, sprinted out of the arboretum and to the
auxiliary craft bay door where she peered anxiously out a window and into the
bay. Kaesah’s presence bloomed in her heart, the emptiness evaporating, and a
sob of relief escaped as the missing piece of her soul returned.

After a minute or two, the airlock door opened like a slow-motion
camera shutter, admitting Lal. Toni watched with anticipation as it
docked at one of two catwalks. She bounced impatiently on her toes, waiting for
the green, all-safe button to light. What seemed an eternity passed before the
bay door’s button lit up to indicate it was safe to open. A slap to the button,
and the door slid open. Toni sped to the catwalk, trying hard not to run.
Suddenly, Kaesah held her in an embrace, raining kisses on her face.

Love filled every atom in Toni. “You are here, and I am whole,”
she cried out in NaQwin.

With gentle hands, Kaesah pushed Toni’s hair from her face, and
gave her a loving look. “As am I, my beloved.” Her lips captured Toni’s for a
sweet kiss, then she broke away to say, “Let us go to our room, so I can hold
you close to me.”

Once inside their room, they helped each other undress, slipped
under the cover, and embraced as love infused them.

This wasn’t about desire and sex. This was a healing, a
reassurance of the deep emotion of caring they felt for the other.

Their separation had been for an hour at most, but Toni never
wanted to repeat it. Though she knew in the future, she might have to endure a
separation forever.

Immersion into the emotion of love drowned that thought as she
relaxed in the circle of her mate’s warm arms, slipping into sleep. She knew
her dreams would be wonderful.

Chapter Twenty-six

The table where they sat in Bright Nova’s arboretum was
huge and oval. Toni thought it could seat at least ten. Her place was next to
Kaesah, with Trynt Agala a few spaces down on her mate’s left. Next to Agala
sat Esteemed Yila. The other two crewmembers Toni had yet to meet, as their
assignment was to work in the galley and bring out the meal when ready.

Toni’s square, wooden plate held several claws from an appetizer
she was relishing. The claws were from crustaceans and the meat tasted similar
to Earth’s crabs. Much to Toni’s delight, a full
pitcher of gheet sat by her plate. She planned not to overindulge in drink as
had happened when she dined aboard Arrow Moon.

As she savored the sweet flavor of crabmeat, Toni listened to Yila
fill Kaesah in on the latest promotions concerning colleagues, and notable genetic
discoveries made on recent expeditions to other planets.

The conversation soon turned to what colleagues recently bonded,
who was dating whom, and what rodu team advanced to the final playoff. Rodu was
a ball game comparable to soccer, but played with three teams instead of two.
It appeared to Toni that NaQwins gossiped as much as any friendly group of
lesbians back on Earth did.

Toni observed Kaesah chatting away and admired how feminine she
was in a silky, lavender blouse with a pink sash tied around her waist. Her
purple pants were tucked into black boots. The ahjon she wore was silver with
dangling silver beads around its edge that made her look like an Egyptian
queen. Before they left to come here, Toni had told Kaesah how pretty she was,
receiving a rush of desire from her, accompanied by an ardent kiss.

Very few questions were asked of Toni,
and those that were, involved ones about her impressions of the astronomical
marvels she saw. It seemed no one had problems in understanding her NaQwin.

Toni now saw why Kaesah insisted they dress in their best clothes.
While this may not have been a formal occasion, it warranted more than a simple
pair of pants and blouse. Agala and Yila wore brightly colored blouses with
matching pants. Both women wore gold ahjons set with gemstones in various
colors.

The ahjon Toni wore was one borrowed from Kaesah, consisting of a
double rope of tiny blue and red beads, matching her light blue blouse and
pants printed with a design of tiny red birds. The outfit had been Atimki’s,
making its fit a tad tight across her chest. She hoped her nipples wouldn’t
decide to harden. That would be all she would need to make a favorable
impression on Kaesah’s mentor and a member of the Council of Geneticists.

The arrival of two young women, each carrying a tray, put a lull
in the conversation. They put their trays on the deck and removed platters of
fish, shellfish, grains, and vegetables, placing them on the tabletop.

Toni knew she must have been drooling when Kaesah leaned close and
whispered, “Do not overindulge.”

“Yes, dear Trynt,” Toni said nasally, receiving an amused smile
from Kaesah. She spotted smoked fish the size of sardines, broiled fish,
prawn-like creatures, shellfish, and other items of food. This was a veritable
Sea Captain’s feast, and Toni couldn’t wait to dig in, glad she had her own
plate and wouldn’t have to share with Kaesah if her mate decided she wanted a
fish head or two.

Toni’s attention diverted from the food when Agala said, “Let me introduce you to my new students.” Toni peered
across the table to where the two young women stood, both near to the same
size.

The one to the left regarded Toni intently, almost in awe. Her
caramel skin tone set off vivid emerald green eyes with a slight tilt up at the
outer edges, reminding Toni of those of a cat. Raven hair spilled in a wavy
cloud past her shoulders, the gold ahjon sparkling with green gems. Her emerald
blouse also matched her eyes. Toni thought her gorgeous in an exotic way.
Unexpectedly, the woman’s eyes locked onto Toni’s, and she smiled, shyly
dropping her gaze for a second before regarding Toni once again. Her expression
this time was not at all shy, but unmistakably seductive. Toni quickly directed
her attention to Kaesah.

Toni and Kaesah stood. Kaesah opened introductions. “I am Rije Vos
Zun Briel Kaesah, Associate Geneticist, Navigator, and Trynt of the research
ship Flowering Star.”

“I am Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice Geneticist and Anchor of
Flowering Star.”

Once again, Toni focused on the young woman across from her, who
tapped her forehead and said with a slight accent, “I am Tresel Vos Gleset
Briel Zelal, Apprentice Geneticist.” The glance Zelal delivered to Kaesah was
brief, almost dismissive. She studied Toni, her lips curved in what seemed a seductive
smile.

Embarrassed, Toni shifted her attention to the other young woman
dressed in a yellow wrap-around blouse, green sash, and amber colored pants.
She was attractive as were most NaQwins Toni had so far met. But her Kaesah
outshined them all.

The young woman tapped her forehead in deference to Kaesah and
Toni. “I am Besel Vos Kadhal Briel Saela, Apprentice Geneticist.”

Kaesah took her seat, Toni doing the same.

“Now, we must not let this good food go to waste,” Agala said.
“After all, food is made to be eaten, not act as a decoration.”

Kaesah assisted Toni in selecting food. Toni glanced across the
table, her attention snared by green eyes that met her own. They seemed to
smolder as Zelal languidly surveyed Toni’s face before gliding them down to her
breasts. She returned her gaze to Toni’s face, that seductive smile once again
appeared, the tip of Zelal’s tongue caressing her top lip.

Geez. The hussy is flirting with me. Toni jerked her eyes away from
Zelal, embarrassed. She knew Kaesah would search out the source of her
discomfort. Toni, ever curious, had to look at the woman again, finding those
green eyes still on her, and a hungry, predatory air about her features. Zelal
brought a prawn tail to her mouth, tore off a piece, chewing it leisurely while
giving Toni a flirtatious look. The infuriation flowing from Kaesah made Toni
feel guilty.

“Toni,” Agala said. Toni had learned from Kaesah that a superior
was allowed to address lower ranks by their personal names when in an informal
setting. “I did not see you take any geb roe. It is a delicacy. Have you ever
eaten it?”

“No, Trynt Agala, I have not. Kaesah…ah…she explained catching of
geb fish.” Toni hoped Agala understood her.

“Kaesah is an island girl, as am I. We learn the art of seducing
geb fish when we learn to walk.” Agala directed her attention down the table.
“Saela, do not keep them for yourself, pass them to
Anchor Toni.”

Before Saela could hand the platter over to Toni, Zelal hastily
stood and grabbed it. Zelal came around the table, knelt beside Toni, and put
the platter in front of her. Her left arm pressed against Toni’s right arm.
Toni leaned toward Kaesah to break contact with Zelal only to have the young
woman lean with her to keep their arms touching.

Zelal whispered into Toni’s ear, “I shall select the best portion
for you, Anchor Tonee,” stretching out the last syllable in her name, “so you
do not get dry ones. The ones I prepared are succulent.” Warm breath wafted in
Toni’s ear, causing goose bumps to march down her spine. Zelal brought the
platter closer to Toni. “I will serve you, Anchor Tonee.”

Immediately, a burst of rage engulfed Toni, not hers but Kaesah’s,
along with another dark emotion. “I…I can serve myself…thank you,” Toni
stammered as she reached for the serving fork, brushing Zelal’s hand.

A gust of fury hit her again, accompanied by the other emotion. Jealousy. Kaesah was jealous.

“Zelal,” Agala said. “Our guest can serve herself. If you want to
serve someone, serve your Ulon. I need a pitcher of gheet. Mine is empty.”

“Yes, Honorable One.” Zelal let the platter go, slowly rising so
her arm rubbed Toni’s, and then headed for the galley. Toni glanced at Saela,
who covered her mouth with a napkin, her shoulders shaking from laughter. For
some reason, this made Toni feel guilty as if she were responsible for Zelal’s
display.

Agala started regaling them with the tale of a discovery of a
goldfield on a planet that geologists said was extensive.

Toni wished the dinner would end soon, but resigned herself to it continuing for a while. She would try not to
look at Zelal, not wanting to feel Kaesah’s anger...or her jealousy.

****

While watching Zelal head toward the galley, Kaesah had the strong
urge to leave her seat and confront the bu chuk. She would not tolerate such
blatant dishonor of her mate or herself. Desiring another’s mate was the height
of disrespect. That Zelal did this in front of others was to spit in Kaesah’s
face.

She was certain Agala had noticed Toni’s discomfort, as well as
read fury in Kaesah’s demeanor. Agala was shrewd and had probably seen right
through the ruse of Zelal wanting to serve Toni because she was a guest. That
courtesy was only given to important people. Kaesah hoped Agala would reprimand
the bu chuk later.

Kaesah knew her ire upset Toni. She tried to control it by
concentrating on the conversation, asking questions about recent elections of
representatives to replace the eight hundred members of NaQwi’s Assembly whose
sixteen-year terms had expired a year ago.

Yila went into detail on the political posturing and intrigue
connected with appointments of various committee heads, Kaesah only
half-interested. She sensed Toni’s uneasiness and a mild guilt. Toni was
innocent in this and did not desire the woman, as Kaesah would detect any
sexual interest from her mate. Still, she wondered if Toni found Zelal more
attractive than her.

She wanted to take Toni back to Flowering Star where she
could hold her in her arms. She would give her Toni more passion than any other
woman would ever be able to give her.

Zelal returned with a full pitcher of gheet and filled Agala’s
mug. Kaesah dismissed the bu chuk from her thoughts. She asked questions on
quotas the Assembly set on this year’s harvest of fish on NaQwi Nali, and what
bills they would send to the Supreme Council to approve.

They talked for a while on these subjects before discussing
governmental projects.

The conversation lulled when everyone went back to eating. Kaesah
watched her mate pry open a shellfish and slurp out its meat. Her Toni was
enthusiastic when it came to consuming the harvest of NaQwi Nali’s oceans. Her
planet was renowned for its seafood. When they reached home, she would make
sure her Toni had as much as she wanted, even if Kaesah had to go out and catch
it.

“Anchor Tonee,” Zelal said in a throaty voice. “I have never met
anyone who comes from Hulos. Do all there have eyes as blue as the deep lakes
on Mites and hair the color of a clum field at harvest time?”

Kaesah hated the sound of Toni’s name pronounced in an accent that
indicated Zelal came from Mites. Kaesah glowered at the woman, anger flaring
once again. Zelal’s mien remained innocent. Nonetheless, Kaesah discerned the
glint of lust in her eyes and knew she was subtly telling Toni she found her
desirable.

Toni’s unease flowed out and surrounded Kaesah, making her livid
that the bu chuk would cause her mate discomfort.

“Not…ah… rare, not…no.” Toni stumbled over her words.

Kaesah waited for Zelal to say she found Toni beautiful, which
would be the final insult, as this would amount to a blatant declaration of
Zelal’s desire for her mate. It was fortunate the bu chuk had enough wits not
to state what obviously showed in her expression. If she did, Kaesah would leap
across the table faster than a Myr through space and scratch her green eyes
out.

Again, Agala pulled the fishhook out of the finger. “Zelal, you
and Saela bring us dessert. Then you two can take dessert and have it in your
rooms, or somewhere else.”

“Yes, Honorable One.” Zelal’s expression and voice were
crestfallen.

Kaesah shot the bu chuk a mocking smirk. Yet, she could not shake
free of her ire. Or her jealousy.

****

“My beautiful one, let me love you.”
Kaesah embraced Toni.

Toni felt Kaesah’s hunger and another emotion, one not of love but
a baser one. She halted Kaesah’s hands from crawling under her blouse, knowing
what ignited this desire. Jealousy. She had sensed it
through their meal aboard Bright Nova and on the way through the
corridor to their room.

A confused and hurt expression was on Kaesah’s face, Toni also
sensing these emotions.

“You do not desire me?” Kaesah asked plaintively.

“Not like this. Not because you’re jealous and trying to claim me,
or prove something.”

“Cy! Jealous,” Kaesah said with
vehemence, her cheeks flushing dusky red and mouth in a frown. “Jealous that
another would dare covet you.” She gripped Toni by the upper arms, pulled her
roughly against her body. “You are mine. She dishonored you, and me, with her
blatant lust for you.”

The kiss she gave Toni was hard and the nip on her bottom lip stung.
To Toni, it was more about ownership than love. Kaesah tried to part Toni’s
mouth with her tongue. Toni twisted her head to break the kiss and shove Kaesah
back. “No.”

Kaesah’s expression was startled and she emanated hurt, prompting
Toni to say, “I’m not rejecting your love, my darlin’. Never
that. But your desire is for the wrong reason. I don’t feel the love you
have for me, but an ugly emotion that would spoil any pleasure in our
lovemaking.”

Kaesah wilted and hung her head. “Forgive. I am without honor.”

Sensing Kaesah’s shame, Toni moved closer to her and slid a hand
under Kaesah’s chin, tilted her head up, seeing eyes shimmer with unshed tears.
“Oh, darlin’, you have more honor than anyone I know. I can feel what is in
your soul. I know you, my love, know you as I’ve never known another.” She
brought Kaesah into an embrace, held her close, kissing her temple. Kaesah’s
arms encircled her, love flowing between them.

Kaesah rested her head on Toni’s shoulder. “I am behaving as a
jealous school girl with her first infatuation. Jealous that anyone else would
find her friend pretty or even talk to her.”

Toni fondled her mate’s hair and fingered the beads dangling from
the ahjon. “Jealousy must be a universal phenomenon. I’ve been guilty of it in
the past. I must say, if that woman…Zelal… had cast her goo-goo eyes at you, I
would have wanted to scratch them out.”

Lifting her head, Kaesah leaned a little out of the embrace, Toni
sensing her surprise. “I also wanted to scratch the bu chuk’s green eyes
out—and snatch her eyebrows out.”

“Ouch.” Toni laughed and held Kaesah’s hand, leading her to their
bed, and encouraged her to sit. Toni sat beside her and curled her legs up
under her. “I wanted to throw an ol’ crab claw into her face. I couldn’t
believe she would think I would be interested in her when I have you.” Toni
knew this banter was needed to lessen the mood of shame and jealousy and let
Kaesah know she was the one desired.

“You did not find her attractive?”

“As they say back on Earth, pretty is as pretty does.” Toni began
untying the sash to Kaesah’s blouse. “I wasn’t interested because I already
have a beautiful woman. Beautiful on the inside and on the
outside.”

“My treasured one, I feel the truth in your words.”

“I speak the truth, darlin’.” Toni added disdainfully, “I bet that
hussy’s a player.”

Kaesah removed her ahjon, then tugged off her blouse and threw it
to the deck. Next, her boots and remaining clothes were removed. She started to
assist Toni in undressing. “She is a player and one of those dishonorable women
who try to break apart a mated pair, and even those in a bonded multiple
relationship.”

Toni flung her ahjon to one side, lifted her arms as Kaesah pulled
off her blouse and tossed it to the deck. Toni removed her ebebs, wiggled out
of the pants, and scooted close to Kaesah, circling an arm around her
shoulders. “Hmm, so NaQwi has hussies and players?”

“Unfortunately, yes. They act like prowling female kedru that come
into estrus frequently and mate indiscriminately, and with more than one at a
time.” Kedrus were green-eyed, cat-like creatures kept as pets. Toni had seen
pictures of them in her lessons on the NaQwin language.

The image Kaesah’s words conjured was one of Zelal as an Earth cat
in heat who yowled and writhed on the floor, and incited Toni into a bout of
laughter. Toni’s laugh was infectious, Kaesah joining in.

Flopping back onto the bed, Kaesah pulled Toni on top of her. Toni
delved into dark eyes, ablaze with passion. Languidly, she rubbed her breasts
on Kaesah’s, feeling her mate’s ardor start to flare. This
time the emotion she felt was love and not jealousy.

Toni playfully growled and nipped Kaesah’s bottom lip. “Forget
about that mangy ol’ kedru,” she murmured against welcoming lips. “You have
your own kedru who needs petting.” The kiss they shared was deep, Kaesah
opening to her, the lovers full of each other.

Chapter Twenty-seven

Blue and green clouds of the Cahta nebula, frozen in a violent
roil, bloomed above them, bathing them in a subdued light as they sat naked in
a patch of cushy ferns, dreamily taking in the view. A dozen or more NaQwin
ships stood out as black shadows against the nebula. This was their last stop
before they reached the Bazza nebula that was near NaQwi.

Kaesah leaned back on her hands, Toni seated between her legs and
running her fingers over the smooth skin of her mate’s thighs. She then
reclined in Kaesah’s embrace, feeling her warm nipples press on her back.

“I love you with all my heart,” Toni said.

Kaesah pressed closer, and nudged aside Toni’s hair with her nose
to nuzzle her ear, kissing the rim. “You love me with an organ, a body part?”
Kaesah teased and nipped Toni’s earlobe, then moved to the neck, kissing it.

“Hmm,” Toni purred and leaned her head to one side to give Kaesah
better contact with her neck. “With my heart and other parts I happen to have.”

Kaesah’s laugh reverberated against Toni’s back and tickled her
ear. She caressed the side of Toni’s face with her nose and mouth, Toni feeling
velvet softness.

The ache of love filled Toni’s chest to bursting. “Most of all, I
love you with my soul.” And I want to stay with you forever. She bit
back on voicing this thought, remembering her vow to Kaesah.

Toni heard Kaesah catch her breath as they immersed in the tender
depth of love, the heat of passion beginning to ignite between them. Toni
wanted to turn and take her mate in an embrace, but Kaesah tightened her arms
around her.

“Not yet, beloved.” Kaesah burrowed her nose into
Toni’s hair for a moment. “I want to make love to you with my words. They are
as close as I can come to making love to you without Merge. Beautiful Toni, I
wish that, at least once, we could love woman to woman, in only the flesh,
sharing our separate singularities.”

Toni’s hands on Kaesah’s upper thighs tightened, fingers digging
into flesh as she fought the impulse to surrender to passion, fought to tamp
down the ember that threatened to flame. With a small whimper, Toni shivered as
she started to ache to take Kaesah. She knew Kaesah felt this, that they
touched the fringes of salkia.

“You are beautiful, my Toni, not just in body, also in soul.”
Kaesah spoke in NaQwin, the language of her soul. “For now, I will worship your
body with my words.” Kaesah murmured into Toni’s ear, “My beautiful one, I feel
your desire whisper upon my body as all three moons’ reflections whisper upon
the calm ocean in the night.”

Toni trembled, Kaesah’s breath balmy in her ear.

“I want to love you with my mouth,” Kaesah said. “I part soft lips
with my kiss and enter you gently as if it were your first time with a lover.”
She nipped Toni’s earlobe. “Forgive. I am jealous another loved you before me.
I thirst for you, beautiful one. My tongue craves the flavor of you. Your mouth
is warm and moist as a blossom kissed by raindrops from a summer shower. I try
to drink my fill of you, but my thirst remains. I seek to leave the haven of
your mouth, to travel on, but you draw me in deeper, drinking my life from me.”

A muted cry released from Toni. Kaesah’s words wove magic, the
words living as they touched and caressed.

“Yes, my Toni, I swallow the breeze of your cry and it stirs my
soul, only to escape back to the source. Your body beckons me on. I am a
traveler who seeks a home, the first to behold the beauty of a new world. My
mouth maps its way to the column of your neck, you arch your head back,
offering to me tender flesh. I press my lips upon the pulse and feel your
heartbeat, the current of life strong. I bite lightly the side of your neck,
fighting the desire to mark you as mine.”

A lingering kiss Kaesah pressed on Toni’s neck drew out a whimper
from her.

Kaesah’s breath quivered, carrying with
it a flare from the banked fire. “My hands sculpt the curve of waist to the
full softness of breasts. My hands overflow with their abundance. Hungrily my
palms stroke peaked nipples hardening under my touch. My mouth is jealous and
seeks to claim what my hands have found. My hands retreat, now supplicants
holding forth the offering of your breasts.

“My cheek caresses the slope of a breast and brushes a peak. I
place my mouth on a nipple to find it soft and firm as a flower bud, and slowly
move my head to trace it with my lips. You quiver, arching back to move your
breast against my mouth, pleading for me to savor it.”

Toni lightly trembled, the words and Kaesah’s desire drowning her.

Kaesah’s words were now tremulous. “My beloved, grant me
permission to explore further, to claim you with my words.”

“Cy.” The word came from Toni’s soul.

“With my tongue I touch the firm peak, my mouth following to
feast, savoring the taste. Ah, treasured one, you are sweet, and hunger makes
me hurry to have as much of your breast to suckle as my greedy mouth will hold.
I am unashamed in my greed, unashamed in my need for you. My mouth leaves to
trail kisses to your other breast, bestowing on it my love. You move beneath me
like calm swells of the ocean lap against the hull of a rudderless boat, and I
drift to the bay of your abdomen to rest my cheek on the smooth warmth of you.”

Kaesah paused, her breathing heavy, Toni’s matching. Toni didn’t
know how much longer she would be able to hold back from taking Kaesah. The
potent scent of their passion made control all the harder.

“I scent your need for me and I track the fragrance to its source,
through roughness of hair—Toni!”

Swiftly, Toni twisted in Kaesah’s arms, urged her trembling lover
into the carpet of fern, where she covered and pressed against her. She held
Kaesah’s hands, pushed them out among the ferns, pinning them to the soil
below. Kaesah spread her fingers, digging them into loam and roots to ground herself.

Toni would be the one to give Kaesah her passion, her darlin’
would accept it, feed it, and return it twice as strong. Toni’s mouth
descended, rough in its attention, Kaesah opening to her, accepting her.
Passion sent them into salkia.

In Merge, they were one.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Home. Kaesah inhaled deeply, turned
to Toni, and gave her a teary smile as emotions from the past months rushed in.
Toni squeezed her hand. Kaesah detached the transmitter from her temple,
disengaged the arm shield, and lifted the armrest to hug Toni.

She sensed Toni’s apprehension. “You will be fine, my treasure. I
will take care of you.”

“I know.” Toni nuzzled Kaesah’s neck. “It’s just strange and new
to me.”

“Supreme Council ship Dawn Splendor requesting priority
communication,” the omni-unit announced.

“It sure didn’t take them long to pounce,” Toni said.

Kaesah felt her heart race and a moment of alarm. “I informed
Honorable Agala of our approximate arrival time.” She gave Toni a kiss, then settled back into the seat. “Omni-unit,
open communication with Dawn Splendor.”

The projection materialized, displaying the violet and blue hued
Bazza nebula with dozens of ships silhouetted against it before the image faded
into that of a handsome, middle-aged woman, her silver hair in a bob. Her navy
blue uniform was that of an official who served the Supreme Council.

Kaesah tapped her forehead. “Good journey, I am Rije Vos Zun Briel
Kaesah, Associate Geneticist, Navigator, and Trynt of the research ship Flowering
Star. My Anchor is Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni, Apprentice Geneticist and
Anchor of Flowering Star.”

The woman greeted them cordially. “Good journey, Trynt Kaesah, I
am Sornat Vos Aminat Briel Jarnel, Senior Advisor and Liaison to the Supreme
Council. Welcome home to you and your Anchor.” She directed her gaze to Toni,
then back to Kaesah.

“I thank you, Esteemed Jarnel.”

“I speak on behalf of the Supreme Council,” Jarnel said in an
official voice. “We have a communication block around Flowering Star to
prevent contact by anyone not on official Supreme Council business. You and
your Anchor are to come aboard Dawn Splendor in one mot. Pack what you
need to take with you to NaQwi Nali. I am sending two Supreme Council Guards to
assist you.”

“As you wish, Esteemed One.”

“Good.” A nod from Jarnel and the scene faded back to that of the
nebula with its many ships.

Kaesah scrutinized Toni, seeing strain on her features from
weariness. This leap had been a long one of around seven hours. She caressed
Toni’s arm. “You go and rest. I will program the hydro system and fish feeder, then meet the guards when they arrive. There is not much we
need to pack.”

“Nothing bad will happen to us, will it?” Toni’s voice reflected
the worry she conveyed through their link.

Kaesah stroked Toni’s arm soothingly to offset her own
apprehension she was sending. “No. Do not fret. The Supreme Council has reasons
for their actions. I do not think they will treat us dishonorably.”

“If you say so,” Toni mumbled, Kaesah still feeling her
uneasiness.

After Kaesah attended to her tasks and packed their clothes, she
met two scarlet uniformed Supreme Council guards and conducted them to the
arboretum. She roused Toni from her rest and introduced her to both guards.
Supreme Council guards were chosen for their height and were taller than
average. These two topped her Toni by at least an inch and were as sturdily
built, but without the breast size.

The guards escorted them to the shuttle where Kaesah settled into
a plush seat, Toni next to her.

“Wow. There must be a hundred or more ships out there.” Toni
gawked at the view out the window.

“We are at the main Myr feeding station closest to the NaQwi
system.”

“How do we get to NaQwi Nali?”

“Dawn Splendor will leap into orbit around NaQwi Nali where
we will take a shuttle to the surface. Only a set number of ships at a time are
permitted to orbit around planets and moons. They are allotted a specific
amount of time to conduct business.”

The shuttle approached a moderate sized ship of blue that
shimmered with cascading gold lights, and pulled alongside the hull to a
docking portal.

Kaesah and Toni followed the lead guard down the umbilical and
into a corridor carpeted in blue.

The two were led down the corridor until coming to a set of double
doors where the guard pressed a button by a speaker on the wall and spoke into
it, “Esteemed Jarnel, Trynt Kaesah and Anchor Toni have arrived.”

The doors slid open, the guard motioning for them to enter. Almost
immediately, Kaesah noticed a dais where two women were seated on cushions at
an oblong table. One of them Honorable Agala. The
other was Esteemed Jarnel.

“Trynt Kaesah, Anchor Toni,” Jarnel motioned to two cushions
across the table from her, “please be seated.”

After they seated themselves, Jarnel poured each of them a cup of
tea. They savored the tea in silence until Esteemed Jarnel looked Kaesah over
for a moment, and then studied Toni, her greeting cordial. “Welcome to NaQwi,
Anchor Toni.”

Toni tapped her forehead. “I thank you, Esteemed One.”

Jarnel directed her attention to Kaesah. “Trynt Kaesah, you and
Anchor Toni will be provided an escort to your mothers’ home. They have been
briefed and are expecting both of you.”

Kaesah nodded and Jarnel continued. “The Supreme Council has
received your mission log and the members are still in conference concerning
them. In six knosis, you and Anchor Toni will appear before the Supreme
Council. In the meantime, both of you are to stay with your mothers. Travel is
restricted to your home island. This is not a punishment, but a precaution. The
less information known about Anchor Toni, the less chance there is for it to
reach the wrong ears. We are in process of preparing a believable background
story for Anchor Toni. For now we wish her to identify as a Hulosian.”

“Understood,” Kaesah said.

“Trynt Kaesah, the Supreme Council wishes you to know that you
were right in returning to NaQwi with haste.”

Relief washed through Kaesah. While this in no way mitigated all
her actions, it did indicate the Supreme Council might forgive some of her
transgressions. Abduction of a sentient species was a serious transgression and
the one that had her worried most. “Convey my gratitude to the Supreme
Council.”

“I will do that. My meeting with you has concluded. The leap to
NaQwi Nali will occur shortly.” Jarnel handed the meeting over to Honorable
Agala, “Honorable One,” and left the room.

“Welcome home, Trynt Kaesah,” Agala said, then turned to Toni.
“Welcome to NaQwi, and to the Geneticists College, newly appointed Apprentice Geneticist
Toni. Do you accept the appointment?”

Toni visibly started, tapping her forehead in a sign of respect.
“You have honored me. I accept the appointment.”

Pride for her mate filled Kaesah. Could it be Toni’s acceptance of
the appointment was an indication she wished to stay on NaQwi? Or to be more
precise, stay with Kaesah? Now was not time to ask Toni the question. Not when
the possibility of serving a sentence on Xisos was in Kaesah’s future. Still,
Kaesah had hope, and this, along with her mate’s new status, made her smile.

Agala regarded Kaesah. “I see that your mate’s new status pleases
you, Trynt. You have been assigned as her Ulon.”

Kaesah’s smile was now a grin. She turned to Toni, seeing her grin
and feeling her delight. “I am honored to be her Ulon. I will perform my duty
to the best of my abilities.”

“I am confident you will.” Agala’s features sobered. “I want you
to know that Atimki has been promoted to Prime Geneticist, and she will be
interred in the Hall of Remembrance, with honors.”

Emotions of gratitude along with sadness tightened Kaesah’s
throat, and she swallowed hard, her voice raspy. “You have honored her…and
honored me. My gratitude, Honorable One.”

“We will inter her ashes the day after tomorrow. Since her mothers
passed before her, and she has no blood sisters, you, as her prior mate, will
observe night vigil. She will be removed from Flowering Star and brought
to the Hall of Remembrance. Cremation will commence at sunset tomorrow.”

Atimki’s mothers, both geologists, had been part of an exploration
team killed many years ago by a rockslide on a distant planet. Kaesah would
witness the cremation and attend vigil throughout the night over Atimki’s ashes
in the Hall of Remembrance. The official ceremony would start the morning after
vigil. Toni’s hand slipped into hers, love enveloping her.

There was a blink of the room’s lights. “We leap,” Agala said. “I
will escort you and Anchor Toni to a room where you can rest.” She stood,
Kaesah and Toni also standing. It would take a mot for them to reach their
destination of NaQwi Nali.

As Agala exited the room ahead of them, Kaesah caught Toni in a
tender embrace, infusing her with love. It would be difficult on her and Toni
when they separated tomorrow evening. She doubted they would be able to sense
each other’s presence at such a distance and this at a time when she would need
to feel Toni’s love.

Her one consolation was in knowing her Toni was alive and she
would once again join her soul through Merge.

Chapter Twenty-nine

Toni swiveled sideways on her seat so that she could gaze out the
window at the blue and aquamarine planet the shuttle was approaching.

Kaesah’s arms encircled Toni’s chest from behind as she peered at
the scene over Toni’s shoulder. An island continent lay in the northern
hemisphere surrounded by hundreds of smaller islands. The blue and aquamarine
waters of the southern hemisphere were speckled with islands so numerous Toni
couldn’t guess the number.

“I never imagined I would see a planet like this. It almost doesn’t
look real.” Toni’s voice held awe.

“NaQwi Nali is a jewel revolving to show her facets in the light
of NaQwi.”

“A jewel is right. It’s sapphire and
aquamarine. Even the islands are blue.” Toni knew the blue of plants gave them
this color.

“Your eyes rival the blue of a sapphire, my treasure,” Kaesah
whispered next to Toni’s ear, causing a delicious tickle to Toni’s nape.

Toni loved it when Kaesah talked mushy. Kaesah did indeed make her
feel treasured. “You’re such a sweet talker. Which island’s your home?”

“She is where evening falls and will be difficult to see until we
draw nearer and lights of her cities are visible, and the white sands of her
shoreline reflect the starlight.”

As if on cue, the shuttle veered left toward the purple of
nightfall, continuing to descend, Toni gazing up, the crescents of two moons
now visible. One crescent was almost twice as large as the other with a reddish
hue.

“How beautiful. The red one’s Dran…Dren…?” Toni
had seen a picture of the moons and tried to recall their names.

“Drenfa. The other one is Etosat. Jut is
shaped similar to an Urtye potato, and was an asteroid pulled into orbit eons
ago.”

“Kinda eerie though. I’m used to one moon back on Earth.”

“When all three moons are full in the night sky, it is almost as
bright as day. NaQwi Nali never has a night as dark as ones on Urtye, except
during the rainy season when clouds obscure a moonless night sky.”

As they descended, lights of cities appeared to float in the sea
that glistened with the luminescence of two crescent moons and millions of
stars.

Soon it seemed as if the shuttle skimmed the ocean’s surface.
Lights of a town were visible, appearing to dance above the water.

“Those are the lights of Nyjan, the town where I was born.”
Kaesah’s voice held pride.

They flew along a stretch of white sand that reflected the
heavens. A string of lights that Toni thought were from houses lined the beach.

A sudden attack of nerves invaded her when she imagined meeting
Kaesah’s mothers. “Kaesah—”

“Why do you fret, my beloved?”

Toni smiled wryly. Of course Kaesah would sense her apprehension.
“Your mothers…how will they react to me—you know—being your mate?”

“They will open their souls to you.” Kaesah tightened her hold
around Toni’s chest. “You will be as a daughter to my mothers.”

Toni snuggled back against Kaesah. Shortly, the shuttle hovered
like a dragonfly above a section of beach that held a ring of lights and with a
gradual descent alighted in the center of them.

Kaesah let go of her embrace of Toni, turned her, and gave her a
firm but quick kiss. “We are home.”

****

Toni stood by Kaesah on the white sands of a beach, the shuttle to
their backs.

“Daughter,” a voice called as two women hurried forward from the
twilight, Kaesah running up to them. The two women surrounded Kaesah, enfolding
her in their arms, Toni hearing their cries of joy and feeling Kaesah’s
happiness with such intensity she almost started to cry.

Kaesah held a hand of each of her mothers and led them to Toni.
“Wana, Wanu, my mate, Toni.” Her voice was full of pride.

The two women scrutinized Toni, the early twilight, and lights
from the shuttle, enabling Toni to make out their features. They appeared to be
in their forties. Both had the typical dark coloring of NaQwins. The one on the
left was close to Toni in height and heftier than most NaQwins she had seen,
her hair worn in a bob. She stepped forward, taking Toni in an embrace.
“Welcome, Daughter Toni, I am Wanu Zun.”

Toni was at a loss as to what she should say.

“Call me Wanu, Daughter Toni,” Zun said.

Zun separated from the embrace and the other woman hugged Toni.
“Daughter, welcome, I am Wana Rije, call me Wana.”

She moved back, Toni seeing the resemblance to Kaesah in dimples
that her smile produced. “I thank you, Wana and Wanu.”

Kaesah clasped Toni’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

“Now, Daughters,” Zun said. “We have food and drink for you.”

The women, with the two guards carrying luggage, walked a few
dozen yards away from the beach and up terraced wood steps built on a dune.
Toni could see a flat roofed, whitewashed house some thirty yards away. They
strode upon a path made from crushed shells, following it until they came to a
porch where Toni saw three good-sized windows lining the porch wall from which
light spilled.

They entered through an open doorway that led into a spacious room
with a pale blue wood floor with colorful rugs and mats. Zun directed the
guards to set the luggage by a door on the right of the room. The two guards
deposited the luggage and then departed.

Kaesah directed Toni to a table, instructing her where to sit. Zun
and Rije went to the kitchen, which was divided from the living area by a
counter. Toni surveyed about her, noticing a skylight above and two spacious
windows on the far wall with curtains of a heavy blue material gathered on one
side.

A mural that depicted seabirds in delicate pastels of white and
pale blue, flying above a white capped sea while ships with billowing sails in
reds and whites plied the waves covered the walls.

The left wall had a small, low table pushed against it. On the
table’s surface sat a blue, soup can size object, which Toni knew was a
standard omni-unit not capable of linking to the mind as did the bio-omni-unit
on Flowering Star. She had seen images of the standard unit when she
took her language lessons. A shelf on the opposite wall held seashells and
knickknacks. Both the left and right walls had a door.

All of a sudden, she yawned, unable to suppress it as her fatigue
caught up to her.

Kaesah leaned close to Toni and stroked her arm. “You are tired. The
leap was the longest you have done.”

“I’m tired, but I can manage to last through the meal.”

Rije and Zun exited the kitchen, each carrying a tray laden with
platters of crustaceans, vegetables, breads, and fruit.

Toni was plied with food, Kaesah and her mothers encouraging her
to try a bite of a vegetable or a taste of a pastry made from meat of a
crustacean. Both mothers asked Toni questions on her impressions of her trip
through the galaxy. No questions were of a personal nature. She thought the reasons
were that they didn’t know her well enough.

Kaesah was filled in on the latest neighborhood gossip, who had a baby, who was pregnant, who was now paired, and
whose daughter was accepted into what college.

Toni’s eyelids grew heavy from exhaustion and she tried to quell a
yawn.

Kaesah’s mothers must have seen Toni’s tiredness, Rije chastising
Kaesah. “Daughter, you are lax in your duties not to recognize your mate’s
weariness. Take care of her.”

Toni almost protested, but Kaesah said, “Forgive. Wana is right.
Come, we will retire.” Kaesah held her by the elbow, excused themselves,
and helped Toni to her feet.

“Peaceful night, Wanu, Wana,” Kaesah said.

“Peaceful night,” Toni echoed.

Zun and Rije stood and came up to them, each giving Kaesah and
Toni a kiss on the cheek.

“Peaceful night, Daughters,” both women said.

“The bed is prepared for you,” Zun said.

Kaesah led Toni through the right side door. Once in the room,
Kaesah said, “Lights low,” and a subdued glow filled the area. Toni surveyed
the spacious room with its two picture windows on one wall with their
bamboo-like window shades down. The bed had green covers. She noticed the
headboard of gray wood and smiled when she saw its sturdy bedposts. Above the
bed was a skylight.

“Rest, treasured one, while I prepare a bath,” Kaesah said.

Toni perked up. “Bath? As in H2O, taff, good ol’
wet water?” While the sonic shower did a thorough job of cleaning her,
it always left her feeling a tad grubby. She knew this was all in her mind.

Kaesah lifted her eyebrows, a seductive quality in her voice.
“Yes, a hot one, and I will wash your back and whatever else you need washed.”

A grin split Toni’s face, almost painful because of its width.
“Christmas and my birthday all rolled into one. Lead the way, woman.”

Kaesah laughed as she headed to a door in the back of the room,
Toni tagging along like a happy puppy. The only light was the subdued radiance
from the bedroom and that of two crescent moons and brilliant clusters of stars
above shining through a skylight. The light was enough to see by, Toni noting a
two-hole toilet, a double-sink, and a shower stall in one corner. But the
object that pasted a happy smile on her face was the huge, oval tub with a flat
rim circling it. Toni thought at least three people could fit in it with room
to spare.

After Kaesah turned on the faucet, she got a bottle from the tub’s
ledge and poured some of its contents into the water, Toni smelling a flowery
fragrance.

“This will be a first for us…bathing together.” Kaesah started to
undress Toni, laying the clothes on a shelf. “A sensual
experience to share with you. However, for tonight, I wish for you to
relax and let me take care of you.”

“And you do it so well, my Trynt.”

“It is my duty to do so. I am indeed your Trynt as you have
pointed out.”

Toni assisted Kaesah out of her clothes. Kaesah wound her hair up
into a topknot, securing it with a clip she got from a nearby shelf. Kneeling
by the tub, Kaesah swirled a hand in the water, and turned the faucet off. She
stepped into the steamy bath and hissed out a content groan as she slid in slow
progression into the water, then leaned against the tub’s back.

Toni appreciated the view of Kaesah’s lithe, wet body, thinking
she sure would like to soap her hands up and run them down the length of it.

Kaesah sat up and offered Toni an inviting smile. “Come, sit in
front of me.”

With care, Toni got into the tub and immersed into the hot water. “Umm hmm. I’m in heaven.” She backed up between Kaesah’s
legs, resting her hands on the sides of her mate’s thighs.

“Lean back against me and I will wash you,” Kaesah said. Toni did
as told, feeling slick, wet nipples press on her back.

Kaesah got a bottle from the ledge and squirted soap into her left
palm. She rubbed her hands together, then massaged
Toni’s breasts in a slow, circular motion.

“Umm, wonderful.” Toni thrust her breast up for a
firmer touch.

“I agree. They are wonderful.” Kaesah tugged on Toni’s now
stiffened nipples. She slid her hands to Toni’s armpits, soaping them, and
tweaked the hairs.

“I know.” Toni felt a bit sheepish. “I need to shave. If you can
find a razor I can use.” Shortly after she and Kaesah became intimate, she had
asked Kaesah for a razor or shaver, and seriously considered shaving off her
pubic hair to make her body more like what Kaesah was used to seeing. Kaesah
had informed her she didn’t have a device to remove hair, only scissors, and
that Toni’s body hair didn’t bother her. Still, Toni felt self-conscious.

Kaesah nipped Toni’s earlobe. “I can obtain one, if you wish.” She
again tweaked the hair in Toni’s armpit. “Your body fascinates me in its
natural state.”

“Then I’ll leave my body a nature preserve for you to explore.”

Kaesah’s laugh tickled the back of Toni’s neck. “A private
preserve to explore at my leisure.” Kaesah moved her hands down Toni’s side and
slipped one between her legs, ran it through the patch of hair, and caught a
few whorls with her fingers, giving them a light yank. She fondled the
clitoris, the stimulation making Toni’s vaginal muscles tighten with desire.

“This bath is to soothe, not to stimulate.” Kaesah removed her
hand from between Toni’s legs.

“You’re such a little tease.” Toni knew this wouldn’t lead to
anything tonight. Deep Merge had drained her.

“Teasing shall resume at another time. For now, slide into the
water and lay your head in my lap. I will wash your hair.”

A blissful sigh escaped Toni as warm water soaked into her hair.
Groans of pleasure sounded from deep in her throat as Kaesah shampooed her
hair. She almost fell asleep from the massage her scalp was receiving.

Kaesah cupped up water in her hands to rinse out the soap.

Toni sat up, twisting to face Kaesah. “It’s my turn to wash you.”

“Not tonight, beloved. We will never leave the bath if
you do.” She removed a folded washcloth from a rack by the tub, wet and soaped
it, and hastily washed while Toni watched.

They exited the bath and toweled each other dry, then donned
fluffy lavender robes they removed from hooks next to the door.

“Sit on the elimination unit and I will dry your hair,” Kaesah
instructed.

Toni did as told and Kaesah reached up to a shelf by the sink for
a cordless, pistol grip hairdryer.

After Toni’s hair dried, Kaesah combed the curls. She nuzzled
Toni’s hair, and sniffed audibly. “Your hair has the fragrance of a flowery
field on a spring day.”

“Sweet talker.”

“Sweet talk for my beautiful
mate.”

Toni always thought of herself as average in looks, but Kaesah
made her feel beautiful. “I need a haircut.”

“Wanu can do that. She is proficient in cutting hair.”

They slipped into bed, Kaesah ordering the lights out. The
luminescence of heaven spilled onto them from the skylight above. While on Flowering
Star, Toni had grown accustomed to sleeping in the twilight glow that
simulated a NaQwin Nali night. She pulled Kaesah into her arms. Kaesah rested
her head on Toni’s shoulder and nuzzled her neck. “I love you, my Toni.”

“I love you, my darlin’,” Toni said in a sleepy voice.

They fell asleep, embraced by love, and dreamed each other’s
dreams.

Chapter Thirty

The sound of muffled voices, and then the front door closing,
roused Kaesah from slumber. She wriggled contentedly in the warm arms of Toni,
enjoying the press of breasts against her back.

Gazing up at the skylight, she saw the gauzy lavender tint of
dawn, and reluctantly withdrew from her mate’s embrace to slip out of bed. She
donned her robe and made a short trip to the ablution room.

With stealthy movements so as not to wake Toni, she exited the
bedroom and entered the great room. Almost immediately, she spied her wana
sitting on a cushion in front of the compact omni-unit table, focused on a data
projection.

She knelt by her wana, and hugged her neck. “Morning
greetings, Wana.”

Rije kissed her daughter’s cheek. “I trust you had a peaceful
sleep.”

“I did.” Toni cuddling her at night always made her sleep deeper
and feel more rested when she got up. “Toni still sleeps. Deep Merge exhausted
her.”

“You have a message from Honorable Agala.” Rije moved to another
cushion by the one she had occupied to give Kaesah space in front of the data
projection.

Kaesah ordered the omni-unit to open the message. “Honorable Agala
is sending a shuttle at fourteen mots to take me to the Hall of Remembrance.”
She suddenly felt sad and distressed. The Capital, where the Genetics College
and their Hall of Remembrance were located, was in the northern hemisphere, a
six-hour trip. Her sadness was for the ceremony when she would say her final
good bye to Atimki. The distress was from the pending separation from Toni and
the emptiness she would feel, they would both feel. She fought to smother her
emotions, afraid they would enter Toni’s dreams.

Rije patted her daughter’s back with a comforting hand. “This will
be rough for you. Atimki was a good mate and a good daughter. Your wanu and I
grieve for her.”

Kaesah’s grief had lessened, but the ceremony would hone it to cut
deep. Her Toni would heal her grief, but the healing would also open Toni’s
wound.

Rije rose to her feet. “Are you hungry?”

Kaesah also stood. “No. I will have tea and later take my meal with
Toni. I will prepare and serve it to her if she does not awaken soon.”

“Good. One cannot spoil a mate enough. Come, we will share tea. I
want to hear more about my new daughter.”

They prepared their tea in the kitchen then went back into the
great room and sat at the table.

“Where is Wanu?” Kaesah asked.

“At her shop. It seems her apprentice cannot
locate a part for a boat motor they are repairing. She should be back soon. We
have taken time from work to spend with you and our new daughter.” She took a
sip of tea before continuing. “I am curious. Toni has the ability to Deep
Merge. How is this?”

“How much information did you receive?”

“Toni is from a planet far away called Urtye, seeded in the
distant past by our Asun ancestors and later a colony was established there by
us. That word must not get out of her origins for security reasons. I and your
wanu were sworn to secrecy and told that if anyone inquires of her origins, we
are to say she is Hulosian.”

Kaesah trusted her mothers to remain discreet. “A minute
percentage of Urtyne females carry some of our genes as dominant. Toni is one
and this enabled her to survive the enzyme and Deep Merge. You were sworn to
secrecy about her origins because the Phlurx are on her planet conducting their
genetic experiments.”

“Bu chuks! Void swallow
the soulless ones.”

“Indeed, Wana, Void swallow them. If the
Phlurx discover our genes in some of the Urtyne populace, they may attempt to
create a hybrid capable of Deep Merge.”

“Our Supreme Council will find a way to stop them.”

“Perhaps.” Kaesah inhaled,
her expression bleak. “There is something I must tell you. It grieves me to do
so. Still, you and Wanu need to know in the event there are unfavorable
consequences. I have committed dishonorable acts and am in violation of two
laws. One of these is a major law.”

Rije eyed her sharply. “I do not believe it. Your wanu and I
raised you to always be honorable.”

“Truth. I did these acts for honorable
reasons, to serve NaQwi and protect her.”

Rije waited for her daughter to continue. Kaesah regarded her with
pensive eyes. “I swore to Atimki that I would find an Anchor and return home to
inform the Supreme Council of what we discovered on Urtye.” Kaesah drew in a
tremulous breath. “I abducted Toni and held her against her will. I threatened
to force her to Deep Merge if she did not do it willingly.”

“Your reasons were to serve NaQwi.”

“I am not proud of what I did. I finally persuaded Toni to assist
me. Toni has an honorable and brave soul.”

“That I know. She would not be your Anchor, or mate, if she were
not honorable. Your wanu and I have noticed when you gaze upon your Toni
happiness shines forth from you.”

“She does make me happy. She is as a child, curious and playful.
And she is a woman, passionate, warm, gentle, and honorable in her soul. To see
the Universe through her eyes brings me joy.” Kaesah said with passion, “Oh,
Wana, I did not think I could love again, that I could love Toni so deeply, and
she love me.”

Rije squeezed her daughter’s hand. “This is your home. Your wanu
and I would have you two live here with us when you return from missions.”

Kaesah sighed. In this, the future was uncertain. That Toni loved
her was not in doubt. Even so, would Toni’s love be enough for her to want to
keep Kaesah a part of her soul?

“What troubles you?” Rije asked.

“Wana, Toni may want to go back to Urtye.”

“You will go with her.”

“Only if she asks me.” She forced a smile. “I will
prepare Toni clum and fruit. I will take her to the lagoon this morning and see
if we can seduce fish.”

Kaesah saw the worried expression on her wana’s face. She stood,
not wanting to discuss the future, and hurried to the kitchen.

****

Marmalade tinted clouds lingered low above the ocean in the
amethyst morning sky of the eastern horizon. Toni dropped her right arm from
around Kaesah’s shoulders to stop and watch a flock of a dozen gull-like blue
and white seabirds fly in a string above the waves. Breathing in a lung full of
briny sea air, she knew she could easily feel at home on this world with
Kaesah.

If only she would ask me. That thought wrapped poignant fingers around her heart and
squeezed. With determination, she shook the melancholy off, not wanting Kaesah
to sense this emotion, and this dampen the outing.

She ran to catch up with Kaesah, her bare feet making squelching
noises on the beach sand. Pulling even with her mate, she caught her around the
shoulders to draw her snug against her side. Kaesah’s arm circled Toni’s waist.

They each wore a pair of knee-length shorts, and knit sweaters.
Toni had borrowed a pair of Zun’s shorts and an old sweater Zun had insisted
she wear since the morning was nippy.

They came to the lagoon’s edge. Toni surveyed the area, around
fifty feet long with a ledge of grey and tan fossilized coral where they would
seduce fish.

“Hey, the water’s warm,” Toni said as she stepped into the lagoon.
A dozen more feet and her knees were covered in a frigid ribbon of water. “I
take that back. It’s getting cold.”

“The water is much warmer here than in the ocean. This is the time
of year in the southern hemisphere when oceans cool.” Kaesah abruptly stopped
and pointed down into the clear water. “I saw fish dart to the ledge.”

“You mean you saw dinner dart to the ledge.” Water was now up to
Toni’s mid-thigh, soaking into her shorts. They stopped at a coral shelf around
six yards wide that protruded from the ledge. Kaesah pushed her sweater sleeves
up and began maneuvering her hands under the ledge, searching for fish.

Toni tentatively did the same. “You don’t have sharks or things
that’ll bite me, do you?”

“There is nothing in this lagoon that will harm you. Our
counterparts of Urtye sharks do not come into shallow areas. They prefer deeper
water.”

They worked along the outcropping’s ledge, Toni inquiring what
type of fish they might catch.

“Ahh!” Toni snatched her hands from
under the ledge, appalled to see a palm-size, orange and black spider-like
creature attached by a claw to the forefinger of her right hand. She screamed,
flinging it off. “God! It bit me!”

Kaesah was quickly at Toni’s side and grabbed her hand. “Let me
see.” She examined the forefinger.

“A spider bit me. I’ll die from the venom.”

“A ticci pinched you.” Kaesah laughed. “They are a harmless
crustacean and are not venomous. It left a tiny scratch.”

Toni snatched her hand from Kaesah’s grip, hugged it to her chest,
and scowled. “It’s not funny. You should’ve told me creepy things lurked in the
water.” She studied her forefinger. “It left a bite mark.”

Kaesah caressed Toni’s arms. “Come. We will go back to the house,
and I will treat it with medication.”

Toni held her finger up to Kaesah’s face. “That won’t be enough,”
she whined pitifully. “You have to kiss my boo-boo and make it better.”

“Boo-boo?” Kaesah’s
eyebrows quirked up.

“Yes, boo-boo that spider thing did.” Toni poked out her bottom
lip, trying to look pitiful. “It hurts.”

Kaesah brought the finger up to her lips and planted a brief kiss
on the scratch.

“It’s better already.” Toni gave Kaesah a tender smile. Her
boo-boo no longer stung, making Toni a believer that kisses had the power to
heal.

****

The time for Kaesah to leave rapidly approached. She sat on the
dune deck’s topmost wooden step and watched the beach, Toni beside her, their
shoulders touching.

A faint ocean breeze carried the tang of brine.

“Too bad we didn’t catch any fish today,” Toni said. “It was fun
until that creepy spider crab thing pinched me.” Toni examined the abrasion on
her right forefinger.

“We will catch fish another day.” Kaesah took Toni’s hand, found
the hurt place, and kissed it. Kaesah’s thoughts then flew to the night ahead,
sorrow descending. She would be alone with her memories of Atimki. How she had
loved her. Atimki would always remain her first love and a part of her soul.

Toni’s hand smoothed Kaesah’s hair. “My thoughts and my love will be
with you tonight.”

The smile Kaesah gave Toni was one laced with sadness. “Our
separation will be brief, though it will feel as if it is an eternity without
you in my soul.”

“It’ll seem like that for me too.” Toni lifted her head. “There’s
the shuttle.”

They watched as the oval, white shuttle hovered above the beach as
if it were a seabird using the wind to buoy it. Gradually, it descended with
its six legs extended and landed.

Kaesah stood, picked up the travel bag containing her mourning
robe, and walked with Toni down the dune steps toward the shuttle.

Tonight, she would once again know that bleak emptiness of soul.
However, her beloved Toni would be there tomorrow and heal her, making her
whole once again.

****

Toni sat on dry beach sand as the hypnotic lap of waves against
the shore, and emptiness from Kaesah’s parting, directed her thoughts inward.
She knew Kaesah felt the same emptiness, and something more. Sorrow.
This night, in the inner sanctuary of the Hall of Remembrance, Kaesah was
reflecting on her life with Atimki.

A feather of a breeze caressed her face, trailing a finger in
tranquil pools of time, sending out ripples of memories. The anniversary of
Lisa’s death had passed. She would always love Lisa, and a part of her heart
would remain a memorial to their life together. There would be moments when she
would step out of time to visit that memorial, touching those memories. Yet she
would step back into time and travel with Kaesah down the path Destiny charted
for them, whether their journey together was long or short.

She dug her hand into sugary white sand and absently sifted it
through her fingers as she surveyed the sparkling glassiness of the ocean’s
surface that reflected the waning crescents of two moons. With a deep inhale,
she drew in fresh sea air, the smell of brine reminiscent of Georgia’s
seacoast.

Closing her eyes, she let her thoughts fly thousands of light
years away to friends on Earth. They undoubtedly assumed her kidnapped, or
worse. She was kidnapped, but not in a way any of her friends would ever
believe.

Sadness made her sigh at the pain and worry she knew her friends
were experiencing. Nothing could be done about that. There was no way she could
pick up a phone and call them, or even email them. Going back to Earth? Her chest
hurt at the thought, but not because of homesickness. She wouldn’t want to go
back to Earth without Kaesah, without the woman she loved.

She directed her sight up toward the luminescent violet smear of
the Bazza nebula and bright clusters of distant stars. Such a
beautiful world. This world would never embrace a night where color
became shadow. On this magnificent planet, night would always remain twilight
as if caught between dreams and awakenings. No monsters lurked in the night as
they did on Earth. Here, women walked without fear, without nightmares or the
specter of bodily harm and death invading their personal space.

A sound caused her to stiffen with alarm, a habit she had acquired
on Earth, or an innate reaction readying her for fight or flight.

“Daughter Toni, I have brought you tea,” Rije said from behind
her. She stopped and knelt by Toni’s left shoulder, handing her the teacup.

“Thank you, Wana.”

Rije removed a shawl from her left arm, unfolded it, and draped it
over Toni’s shoulders. “Sea air can chill.” She got to her feet as if to leave.

“Do not go, please stay.” Toni watched as Rije hesitated as if
considering her request. She added, “I would like your company.”

The twilight didn’t hide Rije’s smile, so similar to Kaesah’s.
Rije sat beside her, crossing her legs, and gazed at
the sea in companionable silence.

“Tell me of Kaesah. What was she like as a child?” Toni asked.

Rije chuckled. “She was both a delight and a hewekat.”

“He cat?” Toni didn’t understand the word.

“A hewekat is a little, mischievous nature spirit from our folk
tales. We use it to describe a child who is stubborn, meddlesome, and often
disobedient, as many of our children are prone to be. Kaesah was a precocious
child. A child with dreams and determined to make those dreams reality. She
knew what her place in the Universe would be at an early age. She knew she
would someday be a Navigator and a geneticist. To most children this is a
fantasy, much as a dream to grow wings and fly.” Rije studied Toni. “Kaesah was
a child who was loving and loyal to family and those
she considered her friends. She is the same today, but she can easily be hurt
by unkindness of others, and is sensitive to another’s moods.”

“That I knew before we Merged.”

“My daughter’s love for you runs deep. You have made her happy.”
Rije cocked her head to one side and studied Toni with piercing eyes that cut
through the twilight. “And you, Toni, I know you love my daughter because her
happiness shines forth. Yet beneath her happiness, there hides sadness. She has
told me the circumstances of your Merge. She has also told me that you may
return to Urtye. This is what makes her sad. What I need to know—is my daughter
a treasure to you, or has Merge made her a burden? Will you forsake her to
return to your planet?”

Toni did not hesitate to take Rije’s hands in her own, staring
into her eyes. “Truth, Wana, I love her with everything I am. She is my destiny
and I am honored she is my mate. I would never forsake her, or our love. I
would follow her to the end of the Universe, if she would but ask me.”

“Have you told her this?”

“I have tried. She said she did not want me to tell her until she
asks me, and I promised I would wait. I am the one who fears she may send me
from her, now that she is home.”

“Such fools the two of you are. You are Merged,
yet you do not believe what Merge shows you to be truth. I should strand the
two of you on a deserted island until both of you come to your senses. Time has
come for my daughter to learn to trust what her soul tells her, to trust what
your soul tells her. You must also learn this lesson.”

“She has but to ask me.” Toni’s need to cry strained her voice.

Rije squeezed her hands. “I know in my soul she will ask you as
soon as she hears the decision of the Supreme Council. She is one who always
leaves the most important questions until last, so she can give them her full
attention.”

They shared a smile, still clasping hands.

“It grows late,” Rije said,
“and we have a sad day tomorrow. Come. Let us retire.”

Releasing Toni’s hands, Rije rose. Toni stood, brushed sand from
her bottom, picked up the teacup, and wrapped the shawl across her shoulders.
Rije again took Toni’s hand, and they walked to the house, Toni feeling she was
home.

Chapter Thirty-one

A persistent tap, tap, tap roused Toni from a restless sleep. She
heard the muffled sound of her name, realizing it came from the other side of
the bedroom door. Tiredly, she slipped from bed, threw on her robe, and opened
the door to see Rije.

“Morning greetings, Daughter
Toni. The shuttle
will arrive in two mots to take us to the Hall of Remembrance.” She held out a
bundle of white cloth with a tan pair of ankle boots on top. “This is the
traditional robe of mourning. I borrowed it from a neighbor close to you in
size. There is a sash to tie around your waist. Also a stole
that I will assist you in draping in the correct way. The shoes are
large for me and might fit you. I have prepared clum for you. Kaesah informed
us clum is your favorite food to eat when you take the first meal of the day.”

“Thank you, Wana.” Toni took the bundle. “I will bathe first.”

“You have time.” Rije exited.

Toni bathed, then scrutinized her
reflection in the mirror above the basin, dismayed by dark smudges under her
eyes, and pale complexion making her freckles pop out. There was no way to
cover up the evidence of her separation from Kaesah. As far as she knew,
NaQwins weren’t into cosmetics, such as foundations or lipsticks. She had never
seen even a hint of makeup on any of them. Even if they did wear makeup, she
doubted there were any in her skin tone.

After drying her hair, she examined the results in the mirror, not
thrilled with her flyaway curls and tried to tidy them with a brush. She then
went to stand before the full-length mirror on the closet door, slipped the
robe on, wiggling until it slid down her body and then tied the sash around her
waist. Her reflection in the mirror was not the Toni she was used to seeing.
She looked like she was in costume for a part in an ancient Greek play.

Sitting on the bed, she pulled on the shoes, the fit a smidge
tight with hardly any toe room, but they would do if a lot of walking wasn’t
required. Kaesah had promised her a shopping trip for shoes and clothes. Kaesah
said she enjoyed shopping. Toni liked this pastime too.

Not bothering to unfold the stole, she took it and exited into the
great room, heading to the kitchen area. Right away, she saw Zun sitting at the
omni-unit table facing a data projection.

Zun stood when she saw Toni. She also was dressed in a white mourning
robe. “Daughter Toni, sit and I will bring clum to you.”

Toni sat at the table, laying the stole beside her. Zun soon
returned with her clum, a cup of tea, and a platter of fresh fruit. “This will
be a long day, so do not skimp on your meal.”

Toni couldn’t help her smile, now knowing where Kaesah got her
bossy attitude. “Thank you, Wanu.”

“You are welcome. Now I will go see if Rije needs my assistance.”

After breakfast, Toni stood facing Zun as she fastened the stole
on her shoulders and showed her how to drape one end to cover her head. Zun and
Rije already had their stoles on in the proper manner, Toni thinking they
favored ancient Roman matrons.

The shuttle was right on time. Two
sharply dressed flight attendants in tan uniforms escorted them to a cabin with
sofa type seats underneath the windows. Toni sat opposite her two
mothers-in-law. Once settled, they removed their stoles from their heads and
draped it on their shoulders.

The shuttle lifted off, Toni glued to the window, watching the
land and seascape grow smaller. Soon they soared above
the seascape where Toni could observe colors of the ocean that shaded from deep
blue to pale aquamarine of shallow areas surrounding the many islands.

Zun and Rije asked her questions about Earth, family, and life up
to the time she met Kaesah. They couldn’t understand her family’s reaction to
her lesbianism, or the bigoted opinions held by many humans on homosexuality.
To them, same sex attraction was as natural as the color of one’s eyes or hair.

Kaesah had informed her that all NaQwins were genetic homosexuals.
Toni had inquired if the daughters NaQwins and genetic lesbian humans produced
would be homosexual. Kaesah had told her the offspring would be, because of the
dominant nature of NaQwin genes.

Recalling this conversation made Toni wonder if she had a daughter
with Kaesah, how would she look? An image of a black haired little girl with
dimples popped into her mind. Sadness followed the musing, sadness her future
might not have that little girl in it, because Kaesah might not be in her
future.

Toni leaned her head against the back of the seat and yawned as
fatigue caused by separation from Kaesah wore on her stamina, making her want
to cry.

“Daughter Toni,” Zun said. “Take a nap. We will wake you when we reach
the Capital.”

Toni stretched out, and turned her head to face the back of the
seat, not wanting her two new mothers to see the tears that flooded her eyes
caused by that missing piece of her soul. Within a short time, she drifted into
a shallow sleep.

****

A gentle shake of her shoulder awakened her. “We have arrived at
the Capital,” Zun said.

Toni had asked Kaesah the name of the Capital and was informed
that was its official designation.

The panorama out the window was of a gleaming city in white and
gold that dazzled the eye, and nestled between the ridges of two blue mountains. To Toni this city seemed mythical with its
bright, glassy domes atop flat roofs. The city appeared to adhere to a grid
consisting of a center point with seven radiating spokes. Its center point was
an immense, white building with a gold dome on the roof. The building seemed to
sparkle, and the dome became a beacon as it reflected sunlight. Blues, grays, and ivories of parks were dispersed in
measured intervals throughout the grid work.

Zun sat next to Toni and gazed out the window. “The central
building is the Great Hall of NaQwi. It is headquarters for the Assembly and
Supreme Council. Most buildings along the seven boulevards are for other
branches of government, including the sciences. Each college has its own Hall
of Remembrance for the interment of those members who have earned recognition.”

“When was this built?”

“Thirty thousand years ago when
NaQwi was first settled. The outer facades are gold veined, white musil stone found in the
mountains surrounding the Capital.”

“Is there significance to the city’s layout of seven spokes and
center round area?”

“The center point is NaQwi, the seven spokes represent the two
planets and five settled moons in this solar system.”

Toni blinked as a rush of wholeness imbued her with energy. Her
mate was near. She almost sobbed in relief sensing Kaesah’s joy in knowing Toni
had arrived. But accompanying relief was a heaviness of spirit that made her
want to find Kaesah and enfold her in loving arms. That would have to wait
until the ceremony concluded and they were alone.

Gradually, the shuttle descended until they were over park grounds
adjacent to six polished, white buildings.

“We have arrived at the Genetics College,” Rije said. “The grounds
hold research areas, teaching halls, residences, and Hall of Remembrance.”

The shuttle slowed until it hovered above a field of blue lawn
surrounded by trees, the ivory and blue leaves shimmering in the morning light.
Toni viewed the white roof of a building in amongst trees. A sudden jolt let
her know they had landed.

An attendant opened the cabin door and instructed, “Follow me.”

After exiting the craft, Rije helped Toni adjust her stole. Two
women approached them, dressed in the tan uniforms of the Genetics College.
Toni noticed the red sash tied around the waist of each woman that classified
them as First Rank Geneticists. They appeared to be in their late forties,
their hair with strands of silver. One was close to Toni in height.

Introductions were exchanged. The woman introduced as First Rank
Geneticist Chrasa walked up to Toni. “Anchor Toni, I am your escort.”

“Thank you, First Rank Geneticist Chrasa.”

All five women trekked a narrow path of crushed, gray stones
toward the tree line, Toni catching a glimpse of a white structure amongst the
gray, ivory, and blue of trees. A few dozen yards through the trees, the path
broadened into the size of a one-lane road, its surface now uniformly laid
blocks of white stone, showing wear from feet that had tramped upon it over
eons. They walked for another hundred feet when the tree line ended at an
expanse of blue lawn fronting a temple of white stone.

Toni stopped to view the grandeur of the temple’s pylon that
reminded her of the one in Luxor, Egypt, she had seen in pictures. The
trapezoid wall was unadorned, its polished surface veined with gold. “This was
built thirty thousand years ago,” Chrasa said from beside her. “Renovations
have kept to the original design, and many stones from the first building were
used.”

“Magnificent,” Toni said.

“Sisters who died while rendering an exceptional service to our
college are interred here. As a rule, it is the ones who died while on
assignment off world, such as Esteemed Atimki.”

Toni noticed symbols carved on the entrance crossbeam. “What do
the symbols on the portal mean?”

“They are in ancient NaQwin. We honor the daughters of NaQwi
who served her well. A Prime Geneticist, who also holds the title of
Priestess of Memories, will recite prayers for Esteemed Atimki in ancient
NaQwin. She will invoke Destiny to guide Atimki’s soul down the next path
toward fulfilling her purpose.”

Toni and Chrasa rapidly strode to catch up with the others now
walking under the portal and into a courtyard containing beds of flowers in a
multitude of colors. Paths led to benches under shady trees by reflecting
pools. Mourners wearing traditional dress and women in tan uniforms joined
them. Ahead was a colonnaded, roofed portico abutting the entrance, which Toni
surmised from her study of temple architecture in art history, would lead to
the inner sanctum.

The sound of rhythmic drumbeats reached her ears, seeming to come
from the direction of the enormous doorway. The group climbed broad steps to
the portico, walked through the door and into a massive, columned hall, its
white columns gold hued in the muted light. It took Toni’s eyes a moment to
adjust to the change in lighting. Their footsteps echoed in the vastness and
joined the beat of drums.

They strode through row after row of majestic columns, drumbeats
growing stronger, their deep sound somber. They
entered the inner sanctum, a spacious hall with rows of windows right below the
ceiling. Light shining through amber panes lent everything a solemn glow. She
inhaled the sweet scent of incense.

Ahead were flickering lights of hundreds of candles. While moving
toward the middle of the sanctum she saw a lone figure dressed in white sitting
on a mat next to a bier covered in a white cloth, both surrounded by candles.

This was Kaesah, mourning the loss of Atimki. They drew closer,
Toni seeing a fluted, gold urn on the bier that she guessed contained Atimki’s
ashes. Draped on the bier was a blue uniform sash denoting the rank of Prime Geneticist.

The drumbeats were louder now and surrounded them. Toni glanced to
each wall where a dozen women, dressed in tan uniforms, stood in the shadows
and drummed.

Seated to each side of Kaesah, around twelve feet away, were
dozens of women wearing traditional mourning dress, others dressed in uniforms
of the Genetics College and a few in blue uniforms of the Supreme Council.

Toni’s group went to a line of cushioned mats left of the bier and
sat, Toni between Rije and Chrasa.

Immediately, her focus was on Kaesah, who had her head bowed and
draped with part of the stole to cover her face. Toni sent out her love, and to
her joy, felt Kaesah return it. She saw a subtle movement of Kaesah’s shrouded
head in her direction. Toni wanted to enfold Kaesah in her arms and hold back
the increase in pain she knew would resume as the ceremony progressed. All Toni
would be able to do was to share the pain she, too, knew well.

The rhythmic beats of drums were hypnotic, and with the scent of
incense and flickering shadows cast by candlelight, Toni fell into almost a
trance.

A sonorous voice chanted in a language Toni didn’t recognize. She
roused herself and saw that the chanter was an elderly woman who stood at the
end of the bier, dressed in a robe of mourning.

Chrasa leaned close to Toni’s ear and translated, “Sisters, we
come to mourn one who served NaQwi and her college honorably. Her mortal
remains will join those of her Honorable Sisters. Her memory will live among
us. Sister Atimki, we miss you and wish you good journey on the path of
Destiny.”

The chanting continued. “She recites the ancient prayers,” Chrasa
whispered, and began translating them.

The muted sound of Chrasa’s voice, and chanting of the priestess,
once again thrust Toni into trance. The dull ache of sorrow drew her backward
in time to Lisa. Fragments of life with Lisa paraded in her memories.

She wasn’t aware of how much time had passed when she felt an
elbow nudge her, and Chrasa say, “The ceremony is almost finished. Interment of
Atimki’s ashes will occur.”

Toni opened her eyes, surprised her cheeks were wet with tears,
and she wiped at them with her fingers. Rije pressed a handkerchief into her
hand, so she did a better job of drying her face, and when finished, tucked the
handkerchief beneath her robe’s sash.

She directed her attention to Kaesah, sharing her pain, and
watched two priestesses help her stand. Kaesah was unsteady, the two
priestesses, one to each side, holding her by an elbow. Another priestess
carried the urn to the front of the sanctum, Kaesah and her escorts following
her to a dais on which stood an oblong altar surrounded with candles. The urn
was positioned on the altar and lowered until it disappeared.

Leaning close to Chrasa, Toni asked, “Where did the urn go?”

“A platform lowers it to the vault below where it will be placed
in a niche.”

The two priestesses escorted Kaesah to a side door where they
entered. The third priestess addressed the mourners. “Sister Atimki has
embarked on her journey down the road of Destiny. Sisters, friends and family,
keep her in your memories today. Rejoice that she leaves us as one honored.”

Toni heard a stir and noticed people were standing. People came up
to Zun and Rije, giving them condolences. Toni stood, feeling a tad stiff in
her joints. She heaved a weary sigh, sensing Kaesah’s sorrow.

Rije leaned close. “Kaesah will need you. Have Chrasa take you to
her. We will wait out here.”

Chrasa led her to the door that Kaesah had entered, opening it.
Toni entered the room, closing the door.

Soon, Toni held Kaesah in her arms and shared her sorrow. She
patted Kaesah’s back with gentle hands. Slight tremors of Kaesah’s body let
Toni know her mate was weary, and she tightened her hold.

“I have you, my darlin’.” Kaesah clung to her, Toni sharing the
grief.

Once home, she held Kaesah throughout the night, both sad. Yet, Merge
immersed them into the healing only their love could bring.

Chapter Thirty-two

Daughter, how shall I cut Toni’s hair?” Zun asked Kaesah as she
twisted Toni’s head to one side and then the other, studying her hair with keen
eyes. It had been almost six months since Toni’s last haircut, and her hair
brushed her shoulders, the curls wild.

“Trim it to chin level,” Toni said. She sat on a stool on the back
porch, a towel draped over her shoulders.

Kaesah angled Toni’s head to one side and the other, studying her
hair. She pursed her lips. “The military officer cut would be appropriate. Is
this not your opinion, Wanu?”

“Military?” Toni squeaked. “Not if it involves shaving my head.”

Kaesah pulled out a handful of Toni’s left side tresses. “You
would look precious with a braid on this side and a crop on the other.”

“No way, Jose,” Toni protested in English.

“I prefer you to keep your hair this length.” Kaesah let Toni’s
curls slide through her fingers.

Toni knew Kaesah was fascinated with her hair, and liked to fondle
the curls. She made up her mind. “Trim the ends to even it up.”

“As you wish, Toni.” Zun stretched a lock out to
snip the end off with a pair of scissors. “Do all Urtynes have light hair and
skin so fair?”

“No. As Kaesah can tell you, we have a variety of skin tones from
paler than mine to black, reddish browns and a yellowish hue. Hair texture and
color also varies. We have hair the color of yours, and straight, while others
have wavy hair, kinky hair, curly hair in various
shades of brown, yellow, white, red. Some dye their hair purple, green,
blue—you name it, we have it.”

“I saw no one with purple or blue hair while on Urtye,” Kaesah
said. “I did see hair dyed green, and pink. The young ones dye their hair in
such garish colors. It is one of their ways to rebel against their society and
elders.”

“Rebellion is a part of growing up.” Zun directed her words to
Toni. “Our young ones demonstrate their rebellion when they paint and decorate
their breasts with outlandish designs and colors.”

“Paint their breasts?” Toni asked, confused.

“Yes.” Zun rotated Toni’s head to the right and continued to snip
her hair. “When late spring arrives, and the weather is balmy, shirts come off
and our adolescent children paint gaudy designs on their chests and breasts.”
She snickered. “It is a mating display to try to attract a special friend. Is
this not so, Kaesah?”

Toni knew what Zun implied. Kaesah was guilty of this display.

“Wanu,” Kaesah said in an annoyed tone, then addressed Toni.
“NaQwins often go bare-chested in late spring and summer.” She gave her mother
a slight frown. “Painting your breasts is not a mating ritual. Many women do it
as a form of ornamentation.”

This made Toni nervous. “No way will I shed my shirt in public,”
she said in English.

“Do not fret,” Kaesah answered in English. “I would not allow you
to do it. Your breasts are for me to enjoy and no one else may enjoy them.” She
addressed Zun in NaQwin. “Toni’s culture has taboos against showing one’s
breasts in public.”

“And I forbid you to flaunt yours in public,” Toni said in NaQwin.

Zun laughed. “Daughter, I think you are Trynt only in name, and
when you are on Flowering Star. Toni will be Trynt in your
household—that is easy to see.”

While continuing to trim Toni’s hair, Zun described her work as a
master shipwright. She offered Toni a tour of her shop, and an outing on her
boat. Toni accepted the offers.

“I hope you are satisfied with the results.” Zun stepped back from
Toni.

Kaesah got a hairbrush from a stool, brushed Toni’s hair, and then
removed a hand mirror from the stool, holding it so Toni could inspect the
results. Toni studied her reflection, satisfied with the trim. “Perfect. Thank
you, Wanu.”

“You are welcome.” Zun removed the towel from Toni’s shoulders.

“Now we will go shopping in Nyjan for garments and proper shoes.”
Kaesah pulled Toni from the stool.

Toni couldn’t help but grin in gleeful anticipation. She was going
to engage in one of her favorite hobbies. Shopping.

****

Toni and Kaesah sat side by side on a bench under the covered
transport stop, Kaesah discussing with excitement shops they would visit. Toni
wore clothes she had borrowed from Zun. The long-sleeved pullover burgundy
blouse was looser across her bust than the ones that had belonged to Atimki.
The black pants were long enough to tuck into the black, ankle-length ebebs she
wore. Her burgundy, fiber bag was slung on one shoulder for any items they
might purchase. She fingered the woven, rose-colored ahjon at her brow, pushing
it up a tad.

Kaesah wore a blue outfit, and from her left shoulder hung an
ample, blue bag in which to carry purchased items. A thin, silver ahjon circled
her head and glinted in the sunlight.

A quiet, bullet-shaped vehicle without wheels pulled up to the
stop. Kaesah had informed Toni all land vehicles used electromagnetic engines
that also powered an antigravity device to suspend them a few feet off a road’s
surface. No one owned a private vehicle for transportation. If one needed a
vehicle to operate a business, then one leased it from the government. The
governmental mass transit system provided all other transportation for free.

They boarded the automated transport, conversations ceasing as
several pairs of dark, curious eyes examined Toni. Kaesah found a seat for two,
Toni taking the place next to the window. Kaesah held her hand and laced their
fingers together.

Toni peered out the window at the passing scenery of neat houses,
their structure similar to Kaesah’s home, and made of coquina. Most were
painted in pale creams or left in the natural shade of light tan. Many were set
amongst graceful palms with gray trunks and blue fronds.

The transport passed adults and children on tricycle type
conveyances riding in a special lane by the side of the road. Toni thought
about Earth and humans. If Earth had the technology NaQwins possessed, humans
would be zooming everywhere with their own personal antigravity devices and
having machines do everything.

She recalled a discussion a while back on Flowering Star.
Kaesah had explained NaQwins believed it important to maintain a balance
between nature and technology. They believed if their society depended too much
on technology, they would not be in harmony with the Universe and would lose
their souls to become something like the Phlurx.

Pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks was sparse. Toni noticed a
group of four women walking together. One woman held the hand of a toddler,
another carried against her chest a baby in a sling while she held the hands of
two women she was between. Toni wondered if they were in a polygamous
relationship or friends out for a stroll.

The scenery was now one of a park. Children were kicking a yellow
ball and chasing after it. The passing landscape changed to an outdoor produce
market and storefronts. Stores were constructed from tan coquina and had
brightly colored awnings over display windows and doors.

The transport came to a stop, and passengers exited onto a coquina
sidewalk. Kaesah surveyed the area. “This way.” She
held Toni’s hand as they strolled down the sidewalk bordered with ornamental
plants and trees on the street side.

Toni glanced into display windows at various items, such as
ahjons, clothes, mats, and even electronics, which she couldn’t even guess the
function. She compared this shopping area to ones in America, finding a
similarity. Except here you didn’t have traffic sounds, nasty smells, litter,
and exhaust fumes like on Earth.

Another thing Toni noticed was the clothing. No one wore dresses
or skirts. Tops in various styles and colors were the fashion. Since the season
in the southern hemisphere was now late autumn and the weather cool, almost
everyone wore long sleeve tops. Many women wore sleeveless vests over the tops.
Harem type pants seemed popular. Colorful sashes adorned some outfits.
Hairstyles were worn in braids, ponytails, loose bobs, or long. Many women wore
ahjons.

Kaesah stopped in front of a shop that had a selection of shoes,
sandals, and boots displayed in the window. Not one pair of shoes had the
outlandish stiletto heels or pointed toes many women on Earth wore.

They entered the shop and a smiling salesclerk with gray hair
approached. “May I assist you?” Toni detected a slight widening of the woman’s
eyes when she regarded her.

“My mate,” Kaesah indicated Toni with a twist of her head, “needs footwear.”

“I have the finest selection made by the best craftswomen in
NaQwi.” The salesclerk indicated the racks of shoes on display. “Select what
you want and I will check my stock for ones in your size.” Toni noticed the
salesclerk glance at her feet in a scrutinizing manner. She hoped they had
shoes that fit, or she would have to ask Kaesah to find a cobbler.

They inspected the wares, Toni finding a pair of black ankle
boots, brown boots, and tan slip-on shoes similar to loafers.

The salesclerk took Toni’s foot measurement with a device
comparable to ones on Earth. She disappeared into the back for a few minutes,
and then came out carrying three boxes.

Toni tried each pair on, pacing up and down the aisle in them to
check if they would pinch. She was relieved they fit. There must be some
NaQwins who had what to them would be big feet.

She decided to wear the ankle boots, stuffing her ebebs in the
shoulder bag with the rest of her new purchases. Kaesah paid the bill by a
press of her thumb pad on the surface of a square, palm-sized scanner handed to
her by the salesclerk.

Their next stop was a clothing store, its six picture windows
filled with wares laid out to catch the eye. This store seemed to be popular if
Toni could judge by the many shoppers who entered and exited. They entered,
Toni gaping curiously around. She was struck by the store’s similarity to ones
back on Earth.

They ambled down an aisle, Toni doing a double take when she
spotted a woman remove her blouse and place it on top of a rack. She took
another blouse that hung from the rack and slipped it over her bare torso to
try it on.

Toni lowered her voice. “You don’t have any fitting rooms here?”
Kaesah’s expression was blank, provoking Toni to add, “No way will I strip in
front of everybody.”

Kaesah had the audacity to giggle. “If you want a proper fit, you
are required to do so.”

With a shrug, Toni assumed a nonchalant air. “Fine
with me. If you want others ogling my beauties, then so be it.”

Immediately, Kaesah’s expression changed to a frown, her tone all
business. “We will manage without you removing any garments.”

“Why, Kaesah, you don’t want to share the bounty?” Toni cupped her
breasts and lifted them.

Kaesah snatched Toni’s hands from her breasts. “I do not,” Kaesah
replied firmly. Toni snickered when Kaesah furtively glanced around to check if
anyone had witnessed her impromptu show.

“You are incorrigible,” Kaesah said in exasperation. She led Toni
by the hand to an open booth, took the shoulder bag from her, and instructed,
“Step in there, and hold your arms out straight on either side. Do not move
until the door opens.”

As soon as Toni was in the booth, a door slid across the opening
to shut her in. A dim golden light surrounded her. After a few seconds, the
door opened.

She stepped out of the booth. “What was that about?”

Kaesah handed her back the shoulder bag, then focused on a display
on the wall by the booth. “Your measurements were taken and directions
displayed to the area containing garments that will fit you.” She typed on a
keypad below the display screen.

“What are you doing?”

“I am sending your measurements to the omni-unit at home. I will
forward them to Honorable Agala, so she can have a uniform made for you.”

“That’ll be great.”

“Let us go to the section where there are garments in your size.
We will also look for undergarments.”

“Now you’re talking.” Toni anticipated with glee being able to
slip into a pair of panties and a bra. She never did feel fully dressed with
wearing just a blouse and a pair of pants, equating not wearing underwear to a
trashy sort of thing to do.

Taking Toni by the hand, Kaesah steered her through apparel
sections, Toni aware of curious glances cast her way. She was startled by the
shrill scream of a child who pointed at her and hollered, “Look, Wanu, look!”
then hid behind her mother, eyes huge as she stared at Toni in what seemed like
fright.

Rolling her eyes, Toni muttered under her breath, “Watch it, kid,
I’m the boogie man.”

Kaesah led Toni to a rack with a placard printed with the NaQwin
number four.

“These should fit.” Kaesah gave Toni a beguiling, shy smile. “Will
you let me select garments for you?”

Toni thought Kaesah’s request just the sweetest thing ever. Kaesah
picking out her clothes was so intimate, and sexy, making her tingle. “Sure. That’ll
be fine.” She knew her face held a moonstruck expression, complete with a goofy
grin.

Kaesah removed a blue blouse from the rack and held it against
Toni’s chest. “This color matches your eyes.”

Toni took it from her to examine. The sleeves would be a smidge
short on her. A closer inspection showed enough seams were present in the cuffs
to let them out a tad, and it seemed to have plenty of chest room.

“I think it’ll fit. I’ll take it.” Toni gawked around. “This must
be the tall and big gal section.” Toni looked at a woman a rack down with her
back to them. She didn’t seem tall to Toni. The woman turned, Toni’s eyes
popping out of her head when she saw her extended belly and obvious breasts.
Anger and embarrassment flushed heat into Toni’s face. Pinning Kaesah with a
baleful glare, she blurted out, “This is the damn maternity section.”

Kaesah jumped, no doubt feeling Toni’s anger, her expression one
of shock.

“Damn you, Kaesah. I’m getting out of here.” Toni threw the blouse
on top of the rack and spun to leave, but Kaesah grasped her arm, stopping her.

“Forgive. What have I done?” Kaesah’s expression held concern, and
Toni sensed her hurt.

“This is embarrassing. I don’t want people to get the idea I’m
pregnant or nursing a baby.”

“This embarrasses you? Pregnancy is nothing to be ashamed of. It
is a time of joy, a time when one anticipates with happiness the new life that
will come.”

Toni considered Kaesah’s words and felt petty. She was
self-conscious because her body type and coloring weren’t the norm here.
“You’re right.” She added wryly, “With my boobs, people will think I’m pregnant
or nursing a baby anyway.”

With an affectionate stroke of Toni’s arm, Kaesah gave her a
melting look. “Beloved, what others think holds no importance. I think you are
beautiful.”

Toni pressed her hand on Kaesah’s that rested on her arm. “That’s
all that matters to me.”

They shared an intimate smile, love radiating between them.

“It will be difficult to find you garments that fit. The larger
cities may have specialty shops that cater to those near to your size. I can
use the omni-unit to search them out. There might be shops in the Capital that
carry garments for Supreme Council Guards.”

Toni blew out a breath. “Yeah, but I need clothes now.” She gnawed
her bottom lip while weighing the options, which were limited. “I guess if this
is all I can find, it’ll have to do for now.” With a leer, she added, “People
will think you knocked me up.”

Kaesah wrinkled her brow in confusion. “Knocked you up?”

“You know—got me pregnant.” Toni snickered.

Leveling a measuring stare at her, Kaesah stated matter-of-factly,
“If you were pregnant, I would be the donor mother. We are mates.”

“I guess you’re right.” Toni stomped down the sweet image of the
child she imagined they would have. She diverted her attention back to one
reason why they were shopping. “These bras you mentioned, I guess they’re
maternity ones?”

Kaesah nodded hesitantly.

Toni decided to make the best of it. “You think they have ones in
black with lace, or sexy red ones with matching panties?” She tried for her
sexiest smile and was rewarded with an eager expression.

Chapter Thirty-three

“You are handsome, my treasure.” Kaesah smoothed her hands over
Toni’s shoulders, admiring how well the uniform that was delivered last night
fit.

“You look pretty sharp yourself.” Toni tugged on the ends of
Kaesah’s green waist sash. Toni went on to add, “You know, a lot of women on
Earth would swoon over you in that uniform.”

“Even here on NaQwi Nali a woman in uniform draws the admiration
of others as a magnet draws a sliver of steel.”

“Then I better keep my eye on you, lest those mangy ol’ kedrus are
prowling about.”

“It is I who must keep the prowling kedrus from you.”

A soft rap sounded. “Daughters, the shuttle has arrived,” Zun said
from the other side of the door.

“Thank you, Wanu,” Kaesah answered, then hugged Toni and kissed
her in an attempt to dispel the disquiet she felt from her.

Toni clasped her in a tight embrace, returning the kiss. Kaesah
smiled against Toni’s lips as she felt her mate’s worries slip away.
Reluctantly, she parted from the kiss. “Let us not keep them waiting.”

They exited the room, giving Zun and Rije quick hugs before
hurrying out the back entrance. They went down the dune steps and to the
shuttle that sat on six struts on the more compact beach sand.

A nattily dressed guard in a scarlet uniform waited at the bottom
of the steps and tapped her forehead. “Morning greetings.
Board and go through the door on the left.”

“Morning greetings.” Kaesah bounded up the stairs,
hearing Toni echo her words. She entered the cabin and slid onto a sofa seat,
Toni right beside her.

“First class accommodations, the
only way to fly.”
Toni stretched her arms out along the back of the seat, her right one slipping
behind Kaesah. She brought her hand up to stroke Kaesah’s hair, then leaned
over, nuzzled it, and made a snuffling sound. “Nice. Your hair has the
fragrance of a flowery field on a spring day.”

Kaesah turned to look at her with half-lidded eyes. “Now who is
the sweet talker?”

“I learned that particular line from the best little sweet talker
on this side of the Milky Way.”

“You inspire me.” They exchanged a tender kiss.

A sudden lurch had Toni exclaim, “Lift off.” She peered out the
window.

For the next two hours, they viewed the panorama of sea and
islands below them, Kaesah pointing out landmarks she recognized as they
traveled north across the equator and then headed west.

“Hey, darlin’,” Toni said with a lopsided grin. “Since it’s almost
summertime at the Capital, do you think we’ll see some women with painted
breasts?”

“I think not. The Capital has a more formal atmosphere. Besides,
mountain weather is cool, even in summer.” Kaesah gave Toni a pointed stare and
added, “I think you have an obsession with breasts.”

“I do not.” Toni sounded offended. “I’m just curious.” She stared
out the window, Kaesah sensing a little ire from her.

Kaesah remembered the time Toni was inebriated and her comments
after they returned from their meal aboard Arrow Moon that pertained to
breasts. Despite Toni’s ire, she continued, “Perhaps you have an infantile
reaction to breasts that is derived from a psychological association with being
nursed by your mother.”

Toni directed a glare at Kaesah, her face red. “That’s not true.”
Then she added smugly, “Besides, my mother didn’t breast-feed me. I drank
formula from a bottle. So there, Miss Smarty Pants.” She wrinkled her nose and
stuck out her tongue.

Kaesah went on to tease her. “Ah, I see. Your fascination with
breasts has a psychological component because you were denied being nursed by
your mother.”

Toni frowned. “You’re evil, truly evil.” Toni then grinned and
added, “You can always paint your breasts for me. If you want, I’ll help.” She
gave Kaesah a rakish leer.

Kaesah focused on her mate’s chest. “Will you let me help paint
yours in return?”

“I think we have a deal.”

****

As they approached the Great Hall, Toni gaped at its white and
gold facade and its massive, gold dome. The last time she saw the Great Hall was
from up higher. This time the shuttle flew lower and toward it, Toni able to
see that the building was four stories high. The park grounds surrounding it
were a foil to the white and gold facade. The shuttle hovered over a landing
zone for a few seconds before it touched down.

Once out of the shuttle, Toni and Kaesah held hands and followed a
guard down a white stone lane to the Great Hall that to Toni favored a Greek or
Roman Temple with its twenty massive Doric type pillars.

Many NaQwins entered and left the building by its enormous
entryway, some in uniforms of different colleges. Toni received a few glances,
but no one gawked at her. Maybe because they were used to seeing aliens since
embassies from other planets were located in the Capital. She hoped to see a
Chumpa, or other alien species wandering the Great Hall.

They mounted the stairs leading up to the portico, went through
the entryway and into a spacious rotunda, its walls decorated with the sun
NaQwi and the various planets and moons that circled it. The polished white
floors had a pattern of the symbol of NaQwi, a blue orb with seven radiating
points.

Another scarlet uniformed guard joined them and guided the group
past a bank of four elevators to one lone elevator. The guard pressed her palm
on a glass surface by the elevator door, causing it to open, and they entered.
Toni guessed this elevator was one reserved for dignitaries. She watched the
display screen above the door scroll to the NaQwin number three.

One guard exited the elevator first, Kaesah and Toni following
her, the second guard behind them. They proceeded down a wide hallway until
they came to a set of double-doors on the left. The guard ahead of them pressed
a symbol on the left of the doors that caused them to retract inside the wall.
They went into a round room that to Toni looked like an amphitheater with a
semicircle of ten rows of some twenty to twenty-five seats, which faced a
stage. On the stage was a rectangular table, around twenty feet long, draped
with blue cloth decorated with the gold starburst symbol of NaQwi.
Behind the table stood seven roomy chairs upholstered in fabric that matched
the color of the tablecloth, the center seat slightly elevated. The lead guard
walked across the blue-carpeted floor, Toni and Kaesah following until they
stopped at two blue chairs facing the stage.

“Please be seated,” the guard said.

They took the seats as instructed. Toni rubbed her damp palms on
the sides of her tunic, took Kaesah’s hand, and squeezed it. She received an
encouraging smile from her mate, though they both broadcasted uneasiness.

One of their guards entered a door left of the stage. The other
guard stood right of center of the stage. A couple of minutes later the left
door opened and the guard exited escorting seven individuals, each dressed in a
blue robe with a gold sash. They mounted the stage and took seats.

Kaesah stood and Toni followed her lead.

Seven pairs of eyes stared down on Kaesah and Toni with interest.
Toni tried not to make eye contact, thinking it might be interpreted as
rudeness. She studied the tablecloth’s starburst design until a sonorous voice
announced, “I am senior member of the Supreme Council, Honorable Pasece. We
have called this assembly to deliberate and rule on a topic that pertains to
our laws and, perhaps, to the well-being of NaQwi. This topic relates to events
that occurred on a mission mandated by this Council and put in motion by the
Council of Geneticists.”

Toni almost jumped when a sudden jolt of surprise emanated from
Kaesah at the last part of this statement. Toni studied the official who spoke.
She was an older woman, appearing in Earth years to be in her seventies. A cap
of white hair barely brushed her ears, and accentuated penetrating jet colored
eyes that seemed to measure a person’s worth at a glance.

“What we discuss here,” Pasece continued, “remains here and will
not be repeated.” She scrutinized Kaesah. “State your name, rank, and titles.”

Kaesah tapped her forehead. “I am Rije Vos Zun Briel Kaesah,
Associate Geneticist, Navigator, and Trynt of the research ship Flowering
Star.”

“You may be seated.” Pasece addressed Toni. “State your name,
rank, and titles.”

Toni tapped her forehead and inhaled. “I am Antonia Kaye Lorne
Toni, Apprentice Geneticist and Anchor of the research ship Flowering Star.”
She inwardly winced at the squeaky sound of her voice.

“Sit, Anchor Toni.” Pasece shifted her attention back to Kaesah.
“Trynt Kaesah, we have perused your report and logs and have questions.”

Kaesah sprang to her feet. “Yes, Honorable Pasece.”

“First, I want to state, you and Esteemed Atimki were diligent in
your duties for discovering the possible threat to NaQwi’s well-being. We will
put a star in your record. Esteemed Atimki will have a star engraved by her
name in the Genetics College’s Hall of Remembrance.”

“My gratitude, Honorable
Pasece.”

“There is a matter we must address. Your reports contain the
incident of an abduction of a sentient being, carried out by you. This is a
violation of mandate 265, section one, article eight. For that offense, we will
place a reprimand in your record.”

“Yes, Honorable Pasece.” Kaesah hung her head.

Toni felt Kaesah’s shame. No way would she allow this injustice to
be done to her mate and popped out of her seat. “You cannot do that! She had
good reasons for what she did.”

The two guards sprang from their posts to face her. Kaesah grabbed
Toni’s arm and tried to force her back into the seat.

“Now is not the time,” Kaesah said in a loud whisper.

Toni said in English under her breath, “Why don’t you say something?
This isn’t—”

“Silence!”

Surveying the stage, Toni saw hard and sharp eyes on her. She took
her seat, sitting stiffly, and sensed Kaesah’s distress. You’ve done it now,
Toni. You and your big fat mouth.

The Supreme Council leader scowled at Toni, her voice stern. “We
will ignore this insult because you do not know our ways. Should you speak
without permission again, we will have you removed. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Honorable Pasece. Forgive.” Toni feared she had brought
dishonor to her mate.

The two guards went back to their posts.

“You will have your say,” Pasece said. She regarded Kaesah. “What
remains unclear in your report is the consent of Anchor Toni in agreeing to
Deep Merge. You state, and I quote: After the importance of my mission was
explained to the subject, she agreed to Deep Merge. We find it incredulous
a sentient being, whom you abducted, would agree to undergo a process never
implemented with her species. A process that had the
potential to cause harm or even death. This would lead one to conclude
that you violated mandate 124, section four; article one. Forcing
another to commit an action potentially harmful to their person, or to other
persons. Did you coerce Antonia Kaye Lorne Toni?”

Kaesah said in a clear and strong voice, “I acted in a
dishonorable way. I broke the laws of NaQwi when I abducted Toni. I broke the
laws when I threatened to force her to Deep Merge. If she had not agreed to
Deep Merge, I would have forced her to. For NaQwi, I embraced dishonor in that
it ensured her well-being. I accept any punishments the Supreme Council think
justified. Honorable One, may I address another matter?”

“You have permission.”

“My Anchor and mate, Toni, has served NaQwi and her own planet
with honor. She saw the threat to her planet, as well as the threat to a people
who were strangers to her, and agreed to Deep Merge. My mate has a brave soul,
and an unselfish one. She walked into the unknown fearing it, but stepped
beyond fear to embrace the purpose Destiny has decreed for her. Toni has much
honor, as much honor as any NaQwin, and deserves all the respect and honor
NaQwi can grant.”

Kaesah paused, Toni sensing sadness. “I ask you to grant her one
thing, allow her to go back to Urtye, if she wishes.” Kaesah tapped her
forehead. “Thank you, Honorable Pasece.”

“You may sit,” Pasece said. The council members began talking
among themselves. Honorable Pasece listened to a member on her right, and then
regarded Toni. “Now you may speak, Anchor Toni.”

Toni stood. “Honorable Ones, I am grateful for this opportunity to
speak.” She drew in a long breath and hoped her NaQwin wouldn’t vanish under
pressure and leave her a stuttering fool. This is for Kaesah, your mate. The
one you love. Don’t fail her. “Kaesah did not force me to Deep Merge. Yes,
at first, she said she would make me do it if it were the sole way to save her
people. That is not why I did it. She gave me new eyes so that I saw the truth.
We have a saying on Urtye; “A coward dies many times before their death; the
brave never die but once.” Yet even the brave have fear. Even the brave, in
truth, are cowards. I was more afraid to live with the truth I had glimpsed
through the new eyes Kaesah had given me. That truth was, if I refused Deep
Merge, I could be complicit in the genocide of my kind, and the extinction of a
noble and honorable people. With that truth, I would die a billion deaths again
and again. That truth I feared more than dying. I made the coward’s choice, the
easy way out. The honorable one would have been because it was the right thing
to do and not because I was afraid.” Toni looked at her mate. “Kaesah is the
honorable one. She and Atimki are the ones Destiny chose. Destiny brought them
to Urtye and led them to discover the events that are unfolding on my planet.
Because Kaesah is an honorable person, she put NaQwi’s well-being before her
own worth, even before her own honor.”

Toni turned her attention back to Honorable Pasece. “Her perceived
dishonor is that…perceived. She should be honored, and thanked, for what she
has done.” Toni looked again at Kaesah, seeing pride in her eyes and feeling
her love. “I am honored she chose me as her Anchor. I am honored I am her mate.
Any honor I might have is Kaesah’s.”

Toni swept the Council with a hard stare, her voice firm. “If any
person here calls her dishonorable, then they are a bu chuk.”

A moment of stunned silence ensued. Toni had insulted the Council
with the worst name possible. The Council members talked amongst themselves in
whispers.

Honorable Pasece cleared her throat, Toni seeing her try to stifle
what looked to be a smile. “You may sit, Anchor Toni.” Toni tapped her forehead
and quickly took her seat. Pasece continued. “We will adjourn and reconvene in
two mots.”

Toni drew in a shaky breath. Dear God Almighty, I hope they’re
not adjourning so they can plan our exile to Xisos.

****

Following Kaesah’s lead, Toni stood, tapped her forehead in
respect as the Supreme Council members filed out of the room. Kaesah grabbed
her hand and exited the chamber with a brisk stride. Once they stepped into the
hallway, Kaesah stopped and said in English, “Speak in English until required
we do otherwise.” She peered down the corridor, and then walked down it, Toni
in tow.

Toni detected no anger from Kaesah, just a vague unease. They came
to a door, Kaesah entering first with Toni right behind. The room had an
elimination unit with six holes. So much for privacy.
On the other wall were four sinks with faucets, ultrasonic hand cleaners, a
mirror above each sink, and towel dispensers.

Kaesah spun, pushed Toni against the wall next to the door, leaned
into her, and kissed her with force. She ground her mouth into Toni’s and
nipped her bottom lip.

“Ouch.” Kaesah’s aggression surprised Toni. This action was not
sexual or fueled by resentment. Toni sensed Kaesah’s love and maybe a bit of
exasperation.

Still leaning into Toni, Kaesah stared into her eyes. “You, my
treasure, are not a coward. You will never refer to yourself as a coward again.
Is this not so, Toni?”

“Yes, dear Trynt,” Toni intoned nasally.

“You are incorrigible.” Kaesah’s eyes grew melting with a dewy
look. “You are very brave, my Anchor, and foolish. One does not insult the
Supreme Council by implying they are bu chuks.”

“They won’t do anything terrible to me, or you, will they?” Toni
squirmed at the thought her actions could lead to negative consequences.

“No.” Kaesah pressed tight against Toni. “Do not fret. They will
forgive this for you are new to our ways. I do—”

The door opened and a woman entered. She did a double take when
she noticed Toni, but continued to the elimination unit, Toni averting her
gaze.

Kaesah relinquished her hold on Toni. “Let us find the refectory
and get a meal.”

“That’s a good idea. Maybe they have a tea that will settle my
stomach.”

With apparent concern, Kaesah inspected her. Toni lowered her
voice, still speaking in English. “Nerves, you know. I bet it’s not every day a
foolish Earthling stands before the Supreme Council and insults them.”

Kaesah tried to smother a laugh, shaking her head as she led Toni
out the door and down the corridor until they came to an intersection.

Stopping for a moment, Kaesah read the overhead direction signs. “That way.” She motioned with her head toward the right
corridor, tugging Toni by the hand to go down it. They went into an entryway
that led into an open area with spacious windows. Over two dozen tables were in
the room, many of them already occupied.

“Toni, find us a table by a window while I get food and drink that
will not irritate your stomach.”

“Okay.” Toni walked to a vacant table by one of the many
floor-to-ceiling windows. She slid onto a mat facing the cafeteria’s front and
looked out the window at the expansive garden containing ornamental fountains
and walkways. She smiled when observing two women sitting on a bench, kissing,
and wondered if they were mates. Her sight wandered to a shuttle that had just
landed, and she watched as six people, dressed in gray uniforms, exited. She
tried to recall what college wore gray when Kaesah returned and placed a laden
tray on the table.

Kaesah sat across the table from Toni, removed from the tray two
fingerbowls, two teacups, a basket of mixed fruit, and a plate of seaweed
crackers. “These should not irritate your digestive system. This tea has a
calming effect.”

“Whatever would I do without you taking care of me?”

“You shall never know, for I intend always to take care of you.”

Toni’s breath hitched. Did Kaesah trust Toni’s love—that their
love would last? She would keep her promise and wait for Kaesah to ask her to
stay. She returned a fond look and basked in the warm emotions from her mate.

After taking a sip of her tea, Toni said, “I sensed surprise from
you when Honorable Pasece mentioned the Supreme Council involvement in your
mission to Earth.”

“I believed it to be Geneticists’ business only. Why the Supreme
Council would be involved is baffling.”

“Do you think Atimki knew anything?”

“No. She was unaware of that fact. We were Merged
for many years, and I would have discerned any subterfuge on her part. Since
that fact has been mentioned, I am sure I will be informed as to what
involvement the Supreme Council had.”

“You’ll tell me what involvement they had, won’t you? Even if they tell you not to?”

“I would make it known to them that I would keep no secrets from
you. You are my Anchor and my mate. We are Merged.”

“Honorable Pasece mentioned a star on your record. I take it
that’s a good thing, but do they keep records on you?”

“Every NaQwin has a record from the day they are born. It contains
our educational history, our work history, our conjugal unions, and our service
to NaQwi. It records any honors we receive as well as any marks against us if
we break NaQwin laws.”

“Geez, Kaesah,” Toni wrinkled her nose in disapproval, “Big
Brother, or in this case, Big Sister is watching you.” Receiving a blank stare
from Kaesah, Toni explained, “Your government spies on you.”

“Yours does not?”

“Not like yours does.”

Kaesah lifted her eyebrows, giving Toni an incredulous stare. “You
are naïve if you think they do not. Information on your life may not be
centralized, but it was not difficult for me to locate. I know where you
attended school, what you studied, how often you went to see a physician and on
what complaints. I know your occupation, the name of the person you lived with,
your parents’ names, what taxes you paid, if you ever did anything unlawful—”

“Okay, I get your point. You’re right.” Toni took a nibble from a
seaweed cracker. She once again regarded Kaesah. “This reprimand in your
record, how bad is it?”

“It galls me, but the punishment is mild, as I could have been
sentenced to time on Xisos for what I did. As you have pointed out, I also have
a star, which is a great honor given for outstanding service to NaQwi. Given
the secrecy surrounding the circumstances, my record will be sealed and just
those with permission from the Supreme Council will see it.”

“They won’t punish you for threatening me, will they? I told them
it was okay.” This had Toni worried.

Kaesah reached across the table and clasped Toni’s hand. “I do not
think so.” Her smile was gentle. “Thank you, my beloved, for your elegant words
in my defense. You were very persuasive.”

“I told the truth. What do you think they’re meeting about?”

“I do not want to speculate. Who knows what reasoning is in their
minds.”

Toni said in her best radio announcer voice, “Who knows what
reasoning is in the minds of the soulless ones.”

“Toni!”

Chapter Thirty-four

Kaesah stood at attention beside Toni before the Supreme Council.
She felt stripped naked to her soul by seven pairs of eyes.

“Trynt Kaesah,” Pasece addressed her. “After deliberate
consideration, this Council has deleted the reprimand from your record. Anchor
Toni gave us new eyes to see that sometimes rules and laws must be bent to
serve the greater good.”

Kaesah heard Toni release her breath and
felt her apprehension lessen.

Pasece continued, “Given the circumstances, we, the Supreme
Council believe the actions you took were appropriate.”

Pasece considered Toni. “Your Anchor has indicated she does not
take offense, and she chose to Deep Merge after the reasons were presented to
her.”

Giving her attention back to Kaesah, Pasece said, “You are honorable in that you put NaQwi ahead of any
self-interest, and we are indebted to you. You are a representative of what it
means to be a True Daughter of NaQwi. In recognition of this, we will place the
symbol of NaQwi in your record.”

Kaesah could not prevent a grin. The designation of a True
Daughter of NaQwi was the highest of honors. “I am grateful, Honorable Ones,
for this great honor you have awarded me.”

Pasece nodded once and then looked at Toni. “Anchor Toni, NaQwi is
not the planet of your birth. Nevertheless, you carry our genes and that makes
us related. Your actions are those of a True Daughter of NaQwi in that you
embraced the role Destiny bestowed on you and did not let fear govern you. You
would have sacrificed yourself for the greater good of both Urtye and NaQwi. We
take offense that you refer to yourself as a coward. In the future, you will
not refer to yourself as a coward. You have a brave and generous soul. We wish
to honor you and claim you as one of NaQwi’s True Daughters. Will you honor us
and become a citizen of NaQwi?”

Kaesah almost swooned and, turning to Toni, let her pride shine
forth. Toni looked at her, Kaesah seeing her mate’s smile bloom.

Toni regarded Honorable Pasece. Her voice was confident and
steady. “I am beyond honored. I accept, with pride, the rights and
responsibilities of a citizen of NaQwi.”

Pasece said in a grave voice, “Do you swear, on your honor, to
uphold the laws of NaQwi, to serve and protect her?”

“I do, Honorable One.”

“Then we welcome you as a True Daughter of NaQwi.”

“Thank you, Honorable Ones.”

“This hearing has concluded,” Pasece said.

Kaesah brought Toni into a tight hug, her voice tearful. “My Toni,
you honor me.”

“It is you who honors me.” Toni’s eyes sparkled as she
gazed into Kaesah’s shining eyes.

A rustling sound caught Kaesah’s attention, and she glanced up to
see the smiling faces of the Supreme Council members. Before she knew it, she
and Toni were exchanging greetings with Council members, Toni the center of
attention. Kaesah did not mind. She was proud of her mate and listened
attentively as she answered questions concerning Urtye.

A guard came up to Kaesah and whispered, “Honorable Pasece wants
to see you and Anchor Toni in her chamber.”

A Council member heard and said to the ones in conversation with
Toni, “Anchor Toni has business she must attend to right away.” The others
graciously acquiesced, and Kaesah took Toni’s hand as the guard led them to
Honorable Pasece.

“Any idea what this is about?” Toni asked out of the side of
her mouth.

“No.”

“Who knows what reasoning is in the minds—”

“Toni!”

****

Abruptly, Kaesah stopped, surprised when she entered Honorable
Pasece’s chambers and saw her mentor, Honorable Agala, sitting beside Honorable
Pasece at a table on the dais. Agala’s tan uniform was adorned with the
metallic gold sash around her waist that designated a member of the Council of
Geneticists.

Agala acknowledged her and Toni with a nod.

“Come, Trynt Kaesah and Anchor Toni, sit here with us.” Honorable
Pasece indicated with her hand two mats across the table from where she sat.

After the two were seated, Pasece addressed Kaesah, “Honorable
Agala is here at the invitation of the Supreme Council and represents the
Council of Geneticists. I know the involvement of the Supreme Council in Flowering
Star’s mission to Urtye confuses you. Honorable Agala and I will explain.
You and Anchor Toni will not repeat what we discuss.” Honorable Pasece regarded
Agala. “If you will, Honorable Agala, explain to Trynt Kaesah why Flowering
Star’s mission was of utmost importance.”

Agala fixed her eyes on Kaesah. “Our Council withheld information
regarding your mission to Urtye, and its true importance, as it was privileged
to only certain high-level officials and the Supreme Council. You and Atimki
were led to believe it was a follow-Sorry,up to the
mission done five thousand years ago. Forgive any subterfuge.”

“I forgive and understand, Honorable One.”

“Good. Over the past twenty thousand years, drozt has increased
from two percent to the current twelve percent. The general belief of our
geneticists and the Medical College had been that percentile increases are
gradual and the disease would not affect our species’ survival for at least
another fifteen thousand years.

“We believed we had time to find a cure, and still may find one.
However, the most recent suppositions by our Prime Geneticists and event
analysts are that the percentile rate will accelerate and reach a critical
point which will impact our species’ continued existence in six thousand
years.”

Kaesah gasped. “Six thousand years?” The survival of their species
was bleak if measures were not initiated now.

“Yes. The Supreme Council requested our Council to arrange a
mission to Urtye to ascertain that our genetics were still present, and if so,
to search for signs of drozt. The information your mission obtained is
exceedingly promising. As you know, it has long been postulated that Urtyne DNA
might be a solution to our survival. We now have concrete evidence showing
those NaQwins who carry Urtyne genetics are immune to drozt.”

Kaesah was speechless. She had no knowledge of any NaQwins having
Urtyne genes.

Honorable Agala focused on Toni. “Your mate is not the first
Urtyne to touch the sacred soil of NaQwi. There have been five before her.” She
turned her attention back to Kaesah. “When Urtye was monitored five thousand
years ago, we sent a contingent of geneticists, geologists, anthropologists,
and some in the medical field. Five expedition members fell in love with Urtyne
females who were genetic homosexuals and brought them home to NaQwi as mates.
The fact they were Urtynes was kept hidden so the wrong ears would not hear of
their origins. All five Urtyne females produced offspring with their NaQwin
mates. That is why we have NaQwins with green eyes, light brown eyes, and, in
very rare instances, blue eyes.”

Pasece regarded Toni with an amused expression. “I think we will
see more blue eyes among us in the near future.”

Kaesah sensed Toni’s surprise. Was Honorable Pasece hinting
approval would be granted if she and Toni wanted children? Or was Pasece
hinting that the Supreme Council wished for them to mother a child? Children
would be a decision she and Toni would make, and not one made for them. That
depended on Toni’s wish to stay with her on NaQwi.

Agala grinned at this comment from Pasece and continued. “Over the
past five millennia, our Prime Geneticists have monitored the descendants of
these pairings to see what impact they would have on our species. The most
significant finding is that drozt has not occurred in the descendants of these
pairings.” Honorable Agala paused. “You, Kaesah, have an Urtyne ancestor and
will not contract drozt.”

This stunned Kaesah. She had never heard even a rumor concerning
this. Then again, there was information, she knew, that was solely privy to a
small cadre of Prime Geneticists and the Council.

Pasece now spoke. “If a cure was not found within the next five
hundred years, we had plans in place to recruit Urtyne females and bring them
to NaQwi to seed our species with their genes. The information that Urtynes in
power may gain advanced genetic information from the Phlurx, and attempt
genocide on those who are homosexual, has generated great concern—even greater
concern than the threat of the Phlurx discovering our genes. We are now
implementing secret plans to recruit colonists from different science colleges
and our military intelligence to settle on Urtye in three years. They will
infiltrate the governments of Urtye to neutralize any threat of genocide, and
drive out the Phlurx. Though the primary mission will be to recruit qualified
Urtyne females and bring them to NaQwi to pair them with suitable mates.”

“Atimki was right,” Kaesah said. “She predicted colonization was
imminent and the probability of bringing Urtyne females to NaQwi as mates.”

“Sister Atimki was a visionary.” Agala gave a sad shake of her
head. “Had she lived, she would have served as a Council member for our
college.”

Honorable Pasece considered Toni, her tone sincere. “Anchor Toni,
if you wish, we will return you to Urtye so you can help prepare the way for
colonization. However, NaQwi needs you here. We request you stay and serve in the
capacity of consultant on Urtye. We require more information on the Urtye
government, society, economy, and culture.”

Kaesah gazed at her mate, holding her breath as she awaited Toni’s
answer.

“Honorable Pasece,” Toni said. “Urtye has many different cultures
and governments. We are diverse and not cohesive as is NaQwi.”

“A little knowledge is better than no knowledge. We ask that you
do your sworn duty and serve NaQwi. Should you stay, you will also have the
responsibility of informing us what methods to implement in recruitment of
Urtyne mates.”

Toni turned to Kaesah, staring into her eyes while taking her
hand. Kaesah saw the question in Toni’s eyes.

Firming her grip of Toni’s hand, Kaesah whispered, “Follow what is
in your soul, my beloved. And feel what is in mine.”

The smile Toni flashed was one of absolute elation. Kaesah’s soul
flowed with joy.

Toni directed her attention back to Honorable Pasece,
straightening her posture. “NaQwi is now my home. I swear, on my honor, to
serve NaQwi and her people, my people now, in any way I can and to the best of
my ability.”

Satisfaction showed in Honorable Pasece’s expression. “I am
appointing you, Anchor Toni, as an Associate Advisor on Foreign Trade Affairs.
Your duties will have nothing to do with trade. This is a ruse to hide your
true function as an advisor on Urtyne affairs. You will answer to me alone, and
I will assign you an office here in the Great Hall.”

Kaesah’s surprise was almost as strong as that felt from Toni.

“I th…thank you, Honorable One.”

“You will reside here in the Capital.” She included Kaesah in her
glance. “Trynt Kaesah will be near the Genetics College.”

“Honorable Pasece,” Agala said, “you steal an Apprentice
Geneticist from right before my eyes?” Her lips twitched in an effort to quell a
smile.

“What is one Apprentice Geneticist when you still have an
Associate Geneticist?” Pasece regarded Kaesah. “Be thankful I do not make her
Anchor Toni’s assistant.”

“What Associate Geneticist do you refer to, Honorable One?” Agala
looked Kaesah up and down. “I see a First Rank Geneticist.”

Kaesah blinked, not certain she heard right.

“Is that not so, First Rank Geneticist Kaesah?” Agala grinned.

Kaesah straightened. “Honorable Agala, you have promoted me?”

“It would appear so.”

Toni clasped her hand. “You deserve it, my Trynt.”

“You have honored me, Honorable One.”

“You will have more duties, of that you can be certain. In the
future, I expect the two of you to take Flowering Star on teaching
expeditions to nearby planets, if Honorable Pasece will release Anchor Toni on
occasion to perform these missions.”

Honorable Pasece nodded. “Agreed. I think
Trynt Kaesah should take Anchor Toni on a tour of NaQwi and return in a kazu.
That will provide me plenty of time to assign my staff to finding Anchor Toni
and Trynt Kaesah a suitable residence.”

“Excellent idea, Honorable Pasece,” Agala said.

Pasece fixed her attention back on Toni. “You will continue to
identify as a Hulosian. Members of my staff have constructed a background for
you. I have arranged for them to instruct you on what you need to know.”

Toni dipped her head. “Understood, Honorable
Pasece.”

“Good. This concludes the Supreme Council business.” Pasece’s
features relaxed into a smile. “I want you and Trynt Kaesah to dine with me and
my three mates before you visit the wonders of NaQwi.”

Kaesah felt her mate’s astonishment, but Toni recovered and said,
“We would be honored.” Kaesah had to quash a chuckle, knowing Toni’s opinion on
polygamy.

Later, on the shuttle, Kaesah stroked Toni’s curls as she lay
stretched out on the seat with her head resting in Kaesah’s lap. She was proud
of her mate. Toni was an exceptional woman, and not because she came from
another world. She was an exceptional woman because of her willingness to
embrace a challenge that had been frightening to her. Kaesah wanted Toni in her
life for as long as she lived. She peered out the window at the twilight of a
NaQwi Nali night, seeing the distant lights of Nyjan appear
to bob above the ocean waves.

Gently, she stroked Toni’s face. “My Toni, my treasure, wake up.”
Kaesah was ready to ask the question.

Chapter Thirty-five

The magnificence of a starry, moonless night wheeled above them as
they stood holding hands and touching souls. The sea held reflections of the
Bazza nebula and the luminescence of billions of stars seemed to dance in the
gentle swells.

Neither woman was aware of nature’s grandeur, only the love that
flowed through and between them, the starlight glimmering in dark eyes, and
blue eyes.

Kaesah’s smile was so dazzling it made Toni’s heart throb with a
sweet ache. She loosened her right hand from Kaesah’s left, bringing it up to
her mate’s face to stroke a smooth cheek and trace the expressive lips.

“Kaesah, you are my treasure. I love you.” Toni spoke in NaQwin,
the words springing from her soul.

Dark eyes leaked tears that glimmered in the starlight. “You are
my soul, beautiful Toni. You complete me. I would exist as shadow without you,
without your love. Allow me to bask in the rays of your love.”

Toni knew what Kaesah was requesting. Even though Toni had agreed
to stay, and Kaesah felt what was in her soul, her mate wanted to hear the
spoken words that love, and not fear of the severance of Merge, guided her
decision. Time had come to give her answer.

“I too, would exist as shadow, without the light of your love. Let
me forever live in the sunlight.” Drawing Kaesah into her arms, Toni rubbed her
cheek lovingly on Kaesah’s temple and into the sweet fragrant hair.

Stars trekked westward as the two basked in love, tears of joy
flowing freely. Kaesah leaned out of the embrace and wiped Toni’s tears away.
Her smile was tender as she looked into Toni’s eyes. “My Anchor, where shall I
lead you, what wonders can I show you? Do you wish to visit the moons of
Pasokal?”

“My Navigator, wherever you lead, I shall follow.”

“And after I show you the marvels of NaQwi’s worlds?”

“My Navigator, wherever you lead, I shall follow. Wherever you
are, I am home.”

“Do you want to return to Urtye? We can make a home there with the
colonists.”

“Earth is the past for me. You are my present and my future.”

“Beloved, your words delight my soul.” She brushed her lips on
Toni’s. “What is it you desire, my treasure? Have you no dreams of your own?”

“My dreams never included the stars. They are more planted in the
contentment one would find in sharing with another a home and a garden…and a
child, someday.” Toni wanted these things with Kaesah. Wanted
a child with Kaesah, a daughter who would be unafraid to walk alone on a beach
under a night sky. A proud daughter of NaQwi.

“Beloved, you honor me.” Kaesah’s voice held elation, Toni feeling
it sweep through her. Kaesah planted a firm kiss on her mouth. “We will mother
a child together with our love.” She caught Toni in a tight hug.

“My Navigator, you do not find me ordinary in that my dreams are
not chasing among the stars?”

Starlight shimmered in Kaesah’s eyes. “You are not ordinary. You
can never be ordinary. I am blessed. Destiny selected you well.” She slid the
fingers of her right hand through Toni’s curls. “I also want those things. A home and a garden to tend.” Her smile was brilliant. “And a daughter to share our life. The stars are eternal and
will always be there should they call us to visit.”

“And I will always follow you, my Navigator,” Toni caressed
Kaesah’s cheek, “and keep you anchored to my soul.”

Kaesah pulled Toni into an embrace, love immersing them.

In Merge, they were one.

About the Author

Linda is a fifth generation Floridian who lives in North Florida
with her partner and adopted furry friends. She is an unabashed romantic who
believes in happy endings.

You can find Linda on Facebook at -

https://www.facebook.com/linda.north

You can also purchase her books at -

www.sapphirebooks.com

Other titles from Linda North available at Sapphire Books

Wind and Dreams

ISBN - 978-1-939062-16-1

In 1901, Rose McLeod accompanies her father to Cairo, Egypt to
acquire ancient Egyptian relics for their antiquities business back home in
Baltimore. A notorious slaver, known for procuring concubines for harems,
abducts Rose. She is rescued, only to find that she is now the captive of a
beautiful woman claiming to be the pharaoh of a kingdom hidden deep in the
Sahara.

Merytneit, the Chosen of Neit, believes Rose is a gift from her
Goddess. Rose is not accepting any of this. She’s a “freeborn American woman.”
During the journey across the desert to the Valley of Wind and Dreams, Rose
joins Meryt’s three companions as a reluctant member of Meryt’s household. Rose
is shocked when she discovers the women are not just Meryt’s companions. “Harem. This is a harem. Rose prayed Meryt didn’t think of
her as the latest acquisition.”

Cultures
clash, danger intrudes, and passions flame. Nothing is chance as Meryt and Rose
play out their destinies as decreed by the ancient Egyptian Gods.