Chapter 25
Chapter
Twenty-Five
Maxxon
I stood in front of Commander Dorn's quarters, my hand hovering over the side panel. The corridor was quiet, the soft hum of the station's systems the only sound. Mandy had requested that I report to her after returning to the station so abruptly. I’d assumed she wanted me to meet her in an office, but she’d asked me to come here so she could tend to their baby while we spoke.
I was unaccustomed to babies. I might have been tasked with procuring mates for Drexians, and those matings inevitably resulted in babies, but I had never been involved with that part of the process. Come to think of it, I rarely saw babies on the station.
It didn’t matter. My discomfort didn’t matter. I needed to explain myself to the woman who’d sent me to Earth.
To be fair, I hadn’t completely abandoned my mission. I had reported to the tribute processing center just long enough to confirm that Allie had indeed left Earth on a Drexian transport.
While I considered how to explain myself, the door slid open.
“There you are!” Mandy smiled as if she’d known I would be standing outside her door, which maybe she had. Dorn had more elaborate quarters than most officers, which might mean detection sensors outside the door. That seemed like something the Inferno Force commander would embrace.
She waved for me to follow her inside, which I did. The space was much as I expected—well-appointed and decorated in the dark tones that most Drexians preferred. However, I couldn't help but notice the pops of pastel colors and vases of flowers scattered throughout the room. Those, I was certain, were Mandy's additions. The standing bassinet at the foot of the bed was also an addition that was not standard in officers’ quarters, and I couldn’t help lightening my step when I saw the small form lying inside.
"Can I offer you some chidi berry tea?" Mandy asked as she moved toward a small kitchenette, not bothering to lower her voice.
“You don’t drink coffee?” I whispered, even though she hadn’t. I’d thought all humans adored coffee and drank it by the gallon.
“Oh, I love coffee, but the stuff you guys have on the Boat is not coffee.” She wrinkled her nose. “That abomination tries to be coffee, but it fails miserably.”
The woman did not coat her words with sugar as people on Earth would say. “Chidi berry tea is fine.”
She inclined her head toward the bassinet. “You don’t have to keep your voice low. Drexian babies sleep through anything.”
She poured two cups, and I took mine, grateful for something to occupy my hands. We settled into gray chairs on either side of a low glass coffee table, and she smiled at me over the top of her steaming cup..
"So," Mandy said, fixing me with a keen gaze, “you’re back.”
I hadn’t even taken a sip of my tea, but I put the cup down on the table. “I know I should have stayed longer…”
She shook her head and waved her hand back and forth. “I get it.”
She did? My pulse quickened. How did she know?
“It must be hard to go back to Earth after spending so much time there in secret. It’s all so different now. You must be ready for something new.”
She hadn’t nailed my reason exactly, but she was right about one thing. I did want something new, and something to take me far from the Boat. I could not bear seeing Allie with another Drexian.
The door beeped before I could agree with her.
“Who is that?” Mandy muttered as she excused herself and went to answer it.
"Mandy, darling, we have a crisis on our hands!" Serge exclaimed as he rushed inside moments after she opened the door. "We have too many volunteers! Can you believe it? Too many! I can't possibly plan quality weddings for all of them. And I refuse to throw a mediocre event. It goes against everything I stand for!"
Mandy listened to the alien's tirade with an amused expression as she led him to the remaining chair. "Serge, calm down. Take a deep breath."
The Gatazoid’s chest heaved dramatically. "But Mandy, you don't understand. The logistics alone are—"
"Are all the new tributes happy to be here?" Mandy interrupted gently.
Serge paused, then nodded reluctantly. "Well, yes, but—"
"Then you should be saving time because you don't have to sweet-talk the brides anymore," Mandy pointed out. "Remember how long it took me to come around to accepting Dorn?"
"Are all the tributes happy with their matches?" I asked before I could think better of it.
Serge seemed to notice me for the first time. His eyes raked over me appraisingly. "My, my. Aren't you a big, handsome one?" He turned back to Mandy. “Is he on our list of grooms?”
Mandy chuckled. "This is Maxxon. He was just telling me about returning from Earth. Up until the reveal, he worked as a procurer.”
“Of course, you did. I knew I recognized you.” Serge clapped his hands together. "Well, we’re now swimming in willing brides."
"But are they all accepting their matches?" I pressed, trying to sound curious and not desperate. "Not one has rejected their mate?"
Serge sighed dramatically. "Of course they're accepting them. We haven't had any of the new tributes unhappy with their matches." He eyed me speculatively. "Now, what kind of female do you want? I can easily match a Drexian like you."
His words were like a slap to the face. If all the tributes were accepting their matches; that meant Allie hadn't turned down the Drexian picked for her. She was probably already happily paired with her new mate.
I stood abruptly. “I should go.”
Mandy tried to stop me. “Didn’t you want to talk about what’s next for you?”
“You were right,” I said as I walked woodenly to the door. “I need a change. It’s time I joined an Inferno Force ship.”
“Dorn will be pleased. I think he still misses his crew.”
I left Mandy and Serge, determined to talk to Dorn and get myself onto an Inferno Force ship. Any ship. I didn’t care if it was patrolling Kronock territory and risking life and limb every day. At least I would not be in a place where every happy couple would be a reminder of what I'd lost.
I reached the inclinator and stepped inside, not caring where it took me. As the doors closed and the car began to move, I leaned against the wall, closing my eyes. The sooner I could get away from the Boat, the better. But no matter how far I got, I knew I couldn't outrun the ache in my chest or the bitter taste of regret on my tongue.