Chapter 16
Cyra glaredat the launch panel on the bridge of The Treasure. Blaize and Rhysa were with her but focused on their own displays. The minimal fuel and goods they’d purchased were loaded. Rhysa had set their course for Din’Gale in the navigation systems. The ships internals were working the best they had been since they were new, but Cyra was worried about how she would launch. They hadn’t needed to break out of atmosphere on Cassan, but to leave Morgual required a big launch boost to get up to the critical speed for the exotic matter engines could take over. Hovering over the launch pad while the ground crew squawked about how The Treasure was holding up traffic didn’t help.
Cyra wasn’t about to masturbate on the deck to try for an orgasm, nor was she going to ask one of them to bring her to the energy release the ship required. “How the fuck am I going to make this piece of shit work, Auvi,” she screamed out and slammed her hands on the deck.
“That’s it.” Blaize spun in her engineer’s chair to face Cyra. “Do that again. There’s almost enough energy for a push.”
“Seriously? It works on anger too?” Cyra couldn’t believe Auvi hadn’t shared that with her.
“Seems so.” Blaize went back to monitoring the systems.
“Why the fuck didn’t I know that, Auvi?” She let all the anger that she felt at losing Captain Auvi, being sabotaged by Varik, and being kept in the dark on the ship”s special ‘push’ system funnel through her body and into the panel.
“Yes,” Blaize hollered.
The ship lurched from where it had been hovering into hyper-speed, tossing Cyra back in her chair. She clung to the arms as the ship bucked out of the atmosphere not nearly as smoothly as she was used to. At least The Treasure was finally underway.
“Damn, I was hoping you’d have to break down and let me get you off, Captain,” Rhysa said with a teasing wink.
“I’ll keep that in mind for future emergencies.” Cyra slumped in the captains chair drained of her anger and dreading what she’d have to face next.
Veda’s voice barked over the internal ship comm. Growls and snarls filled the background. “What the hell was that, Cyra? We nearly died back here. The thuringies are not happy.”
Cyra grimaced and pressed the comm button to reply. “Sorry. Rougher than I expected.”
“Next time warn us when you’re going to splat us like bugs against the wall.”
Cyra made placating noises, promising the next one would be smoother, although how she would keep that promise, she had no idea.
Within a few cycles, The Treasure neared Dez’s planet of Din’Gale. The closer they got the more Cyra second-guessed her decision to let Dez visit his home planet. That one decision could leave her and her crew stranded on the remote planet. Cyra didn’t really have a home besides The Treasure, but without transport jobs to sustain a crew, food, and fuel, she would have to sell it and find something else to do. She’d never lived anywhere else in her adult life.
They landed at the Din’Gale Royal Space Port and it was clear that the land had been scraped away to be suitable for landing. Through the numerous windows of the circular building that garaged The Treasure, a landscape spread before her unlike anything she’d ever seen. Rocky plains covered in trees and vines provided a lush, but rugged, backdrop. Waterfalls filled the air with mist. The planet was almost as wet as her home planet., but the foliage was so different. Flocks of colorful birds punctuated the deep blue sky, swooping and diving through the naturally forming rainbows. The sheer beauty of it held her captive.
“Rhysa,” Cyra called out to her navigator as she descended into the bay. “While we’re here, if you get the opportunity, would you try to secure another transport job? I have to stay close to our?—”
“Dez isn’t going to run off. Even I believe him when he says he’ll come with us after a visit.” She narrowed her pink eyes. “I rarely trust anyone.”
“I’ll just feel better if I can keep tabs on him.”
“No hardship. I’ll take any excuse to rub elbows with the locals. Especially if they look anything like Dez.” Rhysa winked at Cyra and sauntered toward the exit where Blaize waited.
Dez and Veda had left earlier to work with the spaceport team to manage the canines. At Dez’s request, the facility provided them with a large, fully enclosed pen where the animals could exercise outdoors while still providing shelter. Cyra had questioned the cost, but Dez waved her off. Apparently, his sister’s royal status covered their expenses too. Worry weighed on Cyra’s shoulders. After all the chaos, the visit to Din’Gale was too easy. She’d have to remain on guard for the unexpected, because there was no possible way the detour to the cargo’s home planet would work out for her.
Dez led them to a small hovercraft that would take them to his home. The pilot flew between the cliffs. The dark grey rocks jutted out from the dense forest.
“Your planet is beautiful, Dez.” Veda said with a touch of awe.
“I loved it here.” His voice held a note of wistfulness, putting Cyra on alert. “This is the more wild side of the planet. Farther out, away from the deep rivers and jagged mountains, there is rich farmland. The forest has many delicacies I hope to share with you during our brief visit.”
“Food. Good food. I can’t wait.” Rhysa rubbed her hands together gleefully.
How would Dez ever be able to leave his planet again knowing he was going to a frozen planet to work in a mine? Cyra wouldn’t be able to do it. Although she’d given up her beautiful water planet for a metal ship. Maybe he wasn’t as close to his family as he implied.
The hovercraft zoomed into a dock on the top level of a series of circular buildings stacked like mushrooms on top of each other, each one smaller than the one below it. There were tubes radiating out from the bottom building, connecting other similarly configured buildings. The structures had huge windows all around much like the port where they’d landed. Were the buildings homes or businesses? Did they have entrances to the outside forest or did the inhabitants remain inside and only travel in the tubes? Everything about the planet intrigued her.
A group of people emerged from a nearby tube when the hover craft landed, answering one of Cyra’s questions. Two couples waited, an older and a younger. The older male appeared to be an aged version of Dez, but lighter gray. The younger couple wore fine, brightly colored fabrics with gems that winked in the sunlight.
“My family.” The reverence in Dez’s voice warred with the expectation of what it would be like to return to her own family. She doubted they would greet her with smiles and open arms. He embraced the younger woman who had run to him. Most likely his sister, the princess, based on the jewels she wore at her ears, neck, and wrists, to accent her fine, shimmering-green garment. She was stunning with light charcoal-gray skin accented with blood red markings. Her hair fell in a perfect black, silk waterfall down her back. The man by her side, her mate, the prince, was almost as tall as Dez, but not as muscular. He had dark, almost black, markings like Dez, and also had no hair. Dez’s parents were dressed more humbly than the royal couple. He clutched them close, taking each one in his arms, tears running down his face. His mother grazed her fingertips over his cheeks, his shoulders, his chest, as if she couldn’t believe he was real. She was an older version of Dez’s sister—her skin was just a little looser, her red markings a little fainter, and her hair had a bit of grey. She was still strikingly beautiful.
He broke away from his mother and turned to Cyra. “Captain Meajzur, may I introduce my mother, Azhume? Mother, this is the captain of the ship that will take me to my next assignment.”
Dez referred to his being sold to the mines as his next assignment. Did his family not understand that he was a slave?
“It is an honor to meet you,” his mother told Cyra bowing slightly but keeping her distance. Cyra couldn’t blame the woman who must hate her for taking her son so far away to a place that would more than likely kill him at a young age. Cyra tilted her head in acknowledgement and tried to push down the sour ball that bubbled up in her throat.
Dez continued with introductions, moving to his sister and then her husband and finally his father. He introduced her crew to each of them in the same order, starting with Veda and then Blaize and finally Rhysa. Cyra was sure there was some cultural message she was missing. She would discuss it with Veda later. All she felt from the group was kindness and acceptance—two things she didn’t deserve.
“We have prepared a meal for you in honor of your visit, brother.” The princess’s voice was warm and sweet. “Would you all please join us?”
Dez’s gaze shifted to Cyra. She gave a quick nod of silent approval. A note of tension Cyra hadn’t been aware of released in everyone but her. With Veda by her side, she followed the prince and princess through a passage in the lower level that led to the center of the structure. There was an elevator in the core of the buildings that let the residents move from building to building. Dez explained that there were no businesses in the residential zone. The businesses were located farther out between the green zone and the farming land. They rose to the top building in the stack and exited into what was obviously the home of the royal couple.
Finely carved furniture cushioned in rich fabrics filled the open space, seemingly carved from a huge tree. Cyra stepped out of the elevator and onto the polished light wood floors, partially covered by a handwoven rug. The bay of windows in front of her called her to admire the breathtaking view. Standing in front of the perfectly clear panels, it was as if she was still outside. An unobstructed vista led to a valley with more waterfalls than she could count. There must be a river below, but she couldn’t see it through all the trees. The birds—their variety and huge numbers—once again left her in awe. Din’Gale was paradise.
Dez’s mother, Azhume, approached her at the window. “I never tire of the beauty.”
“Having seen it in person, I can’t understand how your son left.”
Azhume smiled, her eyes crinkling her light gray skin. “We didn’t always live in the prince’s palace. Our daughter imprinted with someone beyond her reach. But since the day she was born, Dez never denied her anything.” The warm approval radiated through her words. “He’s always been very protective, especially of his little sister.”
“She’s lucky to have a brother that would sacrifice so much.” And a family that recognized it instead of expecting it.
“We’re all lucky. My husband would have taken on the burden if Dezmuhnd had not dissuaded him. He insisted that Daymuhnd must remain by my side to care for me.” Her voice trembled the slightest bit and a whisper of regret and relief rose from the woman.
Cyra said nothing. What could she say? When she’d left her family, it had been a selfish act to avoid remaining in her crowded home. She hadn’t done it for anyone other than herself. She was embarrassed when she thought back to what she had done compared to what Dez had done for his family.
“Come eat. You must be starved. Dez mentioned during his call that you and your crew have no chef and don’t eat well.”
The call Veda had insisted he be allowed to make. “It’s a long story.”
“You will share it while we dine.” Azhume held out her arm indicating the direction to go.
The food was amazing as promised and the conversation had flowed easily. There were four or five courses, Cyra lost count. Each dish was fresh and expertly prepared. She was so full she could hardly see straight. The wine they’d had probably wasn’t helping her eyesight either. No wonder Dez complained so bitterly about the food on the ship.
The love that the family had for each other flowed over the table in their words, their thoughtful glances, even the way they shared the dishes that were placed on the table. She’d enjoyed the obviously oft-told stories of his childhood and the descriptions of their planet just as much as the food. The more she learned about Dez, the less she understood how he could ever leave.
She yawned but tried to be discreet.
“You seem tired,” Daymuhnd, Dez’s father, said. “Please, let me escort you to your rooms.”
“Oh, no, we were planning on staying on the ship,” Cyra told them although they really hadn’t discussed any plan. They would be a burden if all four of them stayed with his family. Besides staying in their home would only add to her guilt.
Seated next to her, Dez leaned close. “You must stay with me and my family. After all, you don’t want me running away do you?”
There were many things she wanted from him and none of them involved him running away. That had to be the wine. She shouldn’t think of him that way. “I’m sure that after that exquisite meal, I’ll sleep so deeply you could run away no matter where I am. I don’t want to be a burden to your family.”
“It is not a burden,” Azhume said, making Cyra realize the private conversation had been overheard, and all eyes were on her and Dez. “We live in the lower levels and have plenty of guest rooms. It would be more difficult to find a hovercraft at this time than to have you stay.” Azhume was so gracious, it was difficult to argue.
Cyra turned to her crew for backup. All three of them were begging her with their eyes to stay. Traitors. “If you’re sure…”
“I’m sure,” Azhume said warmly, and rose from the table. She kissed her daughter good night and patted her son-in-law, the prince, on the shoulder. Daymuhnd took her hand and escorted her from the room. Cyra and the rest of the crew thanked the prince and princess for the fantastic meal and wonderful company. They were invited to come back anytime their ship was in the solar system, even if Dez wasn’t with them. Another stab of guilt twisted deeper into Cyra’s belly.
Dez walked with her to the elevator, his hands clasped behind his back. “Would you like to see the forest before we leave tomorrow?”
“I would love to see everything. It seems like so much is hidden.”
“I’ll take you after our morning meal. Your crew can go with us or attend to loading the ship, as you wish.”
“Thank you, Dez.” Cyra resisted the urge to touch him, or say something more. What could she say? She had been paid to drag him to another end of the galaxy and she would complete her job, no matter how attractive she found him or how completely she adored his family, and his beautiful planet. He was cargo and her future, the future of her crew, and The Treasure required her to deliver him to Kolben.