Chapter 14 #3
It always messed with my head seeing her in feminine, civilian outfits.
Whenever she visited her sister, Aunt Mercy, on Braxia, or when she dropped by the Venus Hive space station, she was always dressed in a full Veredian celesium armor.
Even after revealing that she truly was a female, she never stopped wearing the masculine armor of her Admiral Lee male persona.
“Thanks, Aunt Lee,” I said with a smile as I returned her hug.
She took a step back, winked at Zhara, then refocused on me.
“Give me a short message for your parents,” she ordered before tapping a few instructions on her armband. “I’m heading to the Eastern Quadrant after we escort you to Dantor. And your mom and dad are not happy with you.”
I flinched. “Yeah, I already had an earful,” I muttered while Zhara giggled. “Mom is pissed. She warned me not to get killed.”
Lee chuckled. “Of course, she did. But she’s also incredibly proud. Now say something nice to them. I’m recording.”
I drew Zhara against me again before waving at the camera embedded in Aunt Lee’s armband.
“Hi, Mom. Hi, Dad. The other Braxians and I made it into the Vigil,” I said, pointing at the insignia on my shoulder. “Right now, we’re celebrating. And this is the beautiful lady I got myself burnt to a crisp for.”
“Hey!” Zhara exclaimed, playfully elbowing me.
I laughed and kissed her forehead before shifting my attention back to the camera.
“As you can see, she made me as good as new. And she’s also making me very happy. I can’t wait for you to meet my Zhara,” I added as I glanced back at her. “Say hi to my parents, my love.”
“Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Aldriss,” she said timidly. “I wish I could apologize for kidnapping your son, but I can’t. He’s my hero and the love of my life.”
Our eyes locked, and I melted as I leaned forward to kiss her.
“Aaand cut!” Aunt Lee said, breaking the magic. “You two are cute. Have fun!”
Just as she scampered off, the music shifted to a Braxian tribal song.
It was the type of rallying song that every culture possessed, and that you simply couldn’t ignore or resist. I stopped dead in my tracks, took a couple of steps away from Zhara, and released a war cry.
My companions emitted the same cry. Everyone gasped, their eyes going wide as we turned to face each other with menacing stances.
We slapped our chests with our fists with another savage shout.
Then we began to move towards each other, stomping our feet and making warlike, brutal gestures.
Humans often compared this dance to the haka of the indigenous Māori people.
Like them, Braxians performed it as part of ceremonial rituals or as a challenge before battle.
It aimed at instilling fear in the enemy, displaying strength, and expressing unity and pride among the warriors of a given clan.
The crowd cheered us on as we made quite a display with spinning back kicks and acrobatic combat moves seamlessly woven into the dance.
The rhythm smoothly transitioned to a Korlethean song.
Judging by their powerful response, that specific song or music type held the same cultural importance as ours.
They invaded the center of the training ground where we’d been stomping our feet and began performing their own traditional dance.
Their movements were a lot more fluid, reminiscent of a mix of human Irish step dancing and contemporary.
We stepped aside, cheering them on, until the music shifted again, this time to a Veredian rhythm.
Their dance involved a different form of step.
They thumped their feet, clapped their hands, and slapped specific parts of their bodies with their palms in a rhythmic pattern.
In-between all of this, both males and females would gyrate their hips suggestively, like a perfect blend of hula and belly dancing.
Breaking from the pack, Zhara danced towards me, her hips swaying hypnotically.
I didn’t hesitate and moved forward, stomping my feet to the rhythm.
Dancing and singing held no mystery for me.
With my mother being a wonderful performing artist, my siblings and I learned plenty from her.
Growing up on a pleasure barge, I loved dancing and having a good party.
Arms spread wide, I danced as she circled around me, her palm possessively brushing over my chest, side, and back as she did so.
I observed her with the stupidest grin on my face.
As if taking that as their cue, everyone else joined in the fun.
Before long, it felt like being in one of the hottest clubs on Venus Hive.
When she spun her way back in front of me, I scooped her up, my arms wrapped behind her tights.
My mate squealed, then burst out laughing.
She threw her hands up, face lifted towards the heavens as I twirled to the beat.
After a few spins, Zhara lowered her head to look down at me.
She cupped my face and lifted it towards hers to claim my lips in a tender kiss.
My heart filled to bursting, I tightened my hold around my woman. As the party went on, I savored every second of happiness, knowing what dark times loomed on the horizon.