Chapter 5
On a view screen in the bridge, Jaspar watched the exchange between Cade and the human female with irritation, fascination, and discomfort.
With deliberate defiance, Cade had approached the target a second time, ignoring Jaspar’s admonishment and advice. He then compounded that mistake by bringing her aboard!
The female initially arrived shaky, but as she regained her wits, she showed herself to be assertive, commanding. Definitely not shy or frail, which Jaspar had already surmised from the information he’d gleaned about her, but seeing it proved different.
Speaking of seeing… Jaspar had gazed at the naked female form before, and, while he might not be as experienced as Cade, had spent time in brothels—leaving feeling sated but, at the same time, unsatisfied.
He’d always felt awkward, given the business aspect of the exchange.
It took much imbibing and manual manipulation before his shaft hardened enough to be of use.
But the nude form of this female, curved and exotic with her non-blue flesh, thickened his cock.
Desire filled him, and he finally understood why some warriors chose to settle with aliens.
Not him, though. The Oracle hadn’t sent him here to bond but to create a channel between their worlds for others to find their mates.
A worthy mission, a perfect reminder that should have been enough.
However, even once the female dressed, he couldn’t entirely shake his arousal.
Blame the female for being more interesting than expected, and smart, too.
Intelligent enough that she kept hammering Cade with questions, and it occurred to Jaspar he should hurry to join them before his partner said something irrevocably stupid—a strong possibility.
Jaspar’s long strides brought him quickly to the transport and decontamination chamber. He entered as the female said, “…go home.”
“What did you do now?” Jaspar barked. “I told you to not bother her.”
“And I ignored that because I saw an opportunity.” Cade turned an unapologetic mien in his direction
“Which might have compromised the entire mission.” Jaspar turned his attention to the female raptly watching their exchange. “I apologize for anything untoward he said.”
“Who are you?” she asked, head cocked.
He offered her a short bow as he said, “Commander Jaspar’uilla Var Jannu, at your service.”
“Colette Wilson.” Her lips curved. “So tell me, are all you Xanadus tall, blue, and handsome?”
A speechless Jaspar’s mouth rounded. “Um…”
Cade snickered. “Bet that’s the first time a female’s ever said that to you.” In an aside to Colette, he added, “Jaspar is considered somewhat underweight for a warrior.”
“Because many of my postings had strict rationing,” Jaspar hastened to explain.
“I think he looks just fine.” The female smiled at him. “Are you one of the warriors looking for a bride?”
“No.” Jaspar violently shook his head. “I am not a suitable mate.”
“Why not?”
He wasn’t about to admit his biggest fault. “Because I am rarely on my home world. A mate requires tending, which I cannot provide.”
“Do all of the warriors seeking brides have that attitude?”
The odd question brought a frown. “I don’t understand.”
“Does your kind think women need to be coddled and cared for?”
His expression cleared. “Yes. It is a warrior’s duty to tend to his mate. Hence why those who bond are given assignments that don’t require them being gone for extended periods of time.”
“Hmm.” Her mien turned contemplative. “That might be a selling point for those worried their alien husbands would be abandoning them on another world without anyone to talk to or hang with.”
“There are other human females to provide companionship,” Beta 690 interjected. “Quite a few of them, actually, who provide a support system to the newcomers.”
“Good to know there’s expat-type services.” The woman rubbed a finger over her lower lip. “I’m going to need to create a pros-and-cons list that I can work with if you’re serious about doing this.”
“Very serious,” Cade stated with a nod.
“Fetch her a tablet that she might begin taking notes,” Jaspar ordered, rather than leave Cade alone with Colette, but the woman shook her head.
“I’d rather do the question-asking in my office where I can input the answers right into my computer.”
“In that case, I’ll have Beta beam us—”
“Slow down. It’s been a long day, not to mention a shocking one. What I want before we do anything is to go home and sleep. We can meet and discuss how to proceed in the morning.”
“If that is your preference.” Jaspar had no issue with her request, but Cade balked.
“We have stimulants that negate the need for rest, meaning we could start right away.”
She looked at him and firmly said, “No.” She then glanced at Jaspar. “If you wouldn’t mind taking me back to my office.”
“Did you not want to return to your domicile?” he clarified.
“Can you teleport me to my house?”
“Easily. I have your coordinates,” Beta replied, a nosy computer who listened to everything.
“I shall accompany you to ensure safe passage,” Jaspar offered before Cade could.
“Thank you...” She paused. “What was your name again?”
“Jaspar’uilla Var Jannu, but you may call me Jaspar.”
“Thank you, Jaspar.” She neared him and put her hand on his arm, which led him to wonder why until she said, “What are you waiting for? Am I not touching you enough?”
“Why do you need to touch me?” he blurted out.
Cade cleared his throat. “I, ah, might have stated it was necessary.”
An admission that had Jaspar glaring at his companion, and while Jaspar said nothing, his expression told Cade they’d be having words about his lie to the human.
“Beta, beam us to the target’s domicile,” Jaspar commanded.
The quickness of the transport did nothing to him physiologically, but the female groaned and her fingers gripped him tight.
“That was just as unnerving a second time,” she admitted with twisted lips.
“You will get used to it,” Jaspar promised as he took in the surroundings.
They stood inside a large chamber, the ceiling quite high overhead and crisscrossed with white beams. The longest wall, which ran a good twenty or more paces, appeared to be made entirely of glass and overlooked the oversized—and dirty—city.
Earthlings did a poor job when it came to reducing environmental pollution, but as their cultures began to overlap—which would happen as the rate of intermarriage and alliance increased—the Xamians would provide them with the technology that would allow them to be better stewards of their world.
Colette moved away from Jaspar, heading for a rectangular unit of gray metal, which opened to display food items inside.
His studies indicated this was known as a refrigerator, a cold-storage unit for perishables, necessary because humans still made most of their ingestible meals using actual ingredients.
Jaspar couldn’t remember the last time he’d eaten something that didn’t come from a replicator.
“Would you like a glass of wine?” she offered, pulling out a bottle and placing it on a gleaming counter.
His translator indicated an offer of alcohol. “While the offer is kind, I should return to the ship that you might rest.”
“Surely you can stay for one glass.” She held up a pair of strangely shaped cups perched on a long stem and waggled them.
Given her insistence, it would be rude of him to refuse. “Very well. As you wish.” He accepted and then stood awkwardly, unsure of how to act. He’d only rarely ever found himself alone with the opposite sex, and usually because he’d paid them to be there.
Beta must have been monitoring and sensed his discomfort because his communicator conveyed a message. “Relax. The human is harmless.”
He didn’t fear her injuring him, more that he would do or say the wrong thing.
“Why is it you look like you want to run away?” the woman asked as she headed for him, extending a fluted glass full of a red liquid.
“This type of mission is new to me,” he admitted as he took the beverage.
“What kind of missions do you usually go on?”
He clutched the glass but didn’t immediately drink. “The kind where I’m not usually required to talk.” He quickly took a sip of the strange liquid. Tart, but not overly so. Definitely nothing like the grog offered on most space stations.
She snorted. “Solo missions sound divine. I’m not big on the whole social thing, either. How is it you got stuck coming here, where you had to deal with people?”
“The Oracle ordered me to.”
“And do you and the other Xanadus always do what this Oracle says?”
He almost corrected her mispronunciation but, given the mood, decided against it. “Yes. She is our guide.”
“Seems like you put an awful lot of trust in her. What if she’s wrong?”
The blasphemy almost popped his eyes out of his head. “The Oracle is always right.”
“If you say so,” the woman sang before taking another sip and wandering over to the windows. “How do you like Earth so far?”
“This is my first time on its surface.”
She whirled. “You came all this way and didn’t teleport down until now?”
His shoulders rolled. “Exploring wasn’t part of the mission, and we do stand out among your kind.”
“Didn’t seem to bother Cade.”
“Because he is brash,” his retort.
“Aren’t you curious?”
“Yes. I’ve been studying human history and social norms on the ship.” He took another sip and noticed this time that it appeared to be spreading warmth through his body. Had the female lied about the contents in his glass and fed him poison?
Nosy Beta sensed his trepidation and replied, “It is alcohol and is quite potent. Be wary of your consumption.”
“Studying isn’t the same as experiencing, though. Whenever I expand the company into a new region, one of the things I like to do before I start work on the marketing campaigns is to go native and immerse myself for a few weeks to get a feel for the people and their culture.”
“How does that help you to pair people?” he blurted.