Chapter 8
Armathea
Somewhere in the Galaxy
Her guest followed Kendra at a polite distance as she led the way to the hydroponics lab.
It was only now, when they reached the smooth door that led to her sanctuary, that she had doubts about offering the Taleari stranger a tour.
Not that she wasn’t excited about sharing her hobby with someone, because she was. Wholeheartedly.
But his presence was a bit unnerving in a way she hadn’t experienced before.
When she first laid eyes on him, she had been struck speechless.
Dressed in a simple short-sleeve grey shirt, black trousers that were tucked in rugged leather boots, he had descended the landing plank with a confident, almost arrogant stride.
He was tall, with an athletic build and inky black hair that curled at his shoulders, but it was his translucent steel-gray eyes, framed by dark sooty lashes that drew her attention.
So unusual and intense, she had been captivated the instant his gaze locked on hers from across the cargo bay.
For a moment, she couldn’t tug her gaze away.
After regaining a semblance of composure, she had moved to greet him, halting several paces from his side.
He towered over her, forcing her to tilt her neck to meet his steady steel gaze.
There was something intimidating about the way he carried himself, the way he peered down at her, regarding her with keen interest.
It was probably his Taleari heritage that unnerved her. After all, he was her enemy.
Kendra didn’t have time to speculate though. She was on a mission to prove herself to Odin and the crew, so she ignored the subtle warning ringing in her head, smiled in a way she hoped was welcoming and attempted to be the perfect hostess.
“This is our hydroponics lab,” Kendra explained as the steel panel slid open with a hiss, revealing a huge cargo bay filled with rows of sleek hydroponics—each with a different variety of colorful vegetables and berries, some climbing lattice and twine toward bright lights dangling from the ceiling, others stacked on top of each other.
She entered the bay area and took a deep breath. The crisp scent of leafy greens hung in the humid air like an aphrodisiac to the senses. Fresh and fragrant, with sweet and subtle notes of ripe vegetables and pungent herbs.
“I didn’t realize Dracarian vessels had hydroponics.” Reyne followed her inside, his gaze sweeping the cargo bay with a hint of astonishment.
“They don’t,” she admitted. “At least this one didn’t.
This used to be an unused cargo bay. Over the years, we converted it, one piece at a time.
” Most of this was her doing and she was proud of her success.
As a neglected and rejected daughter, she had spent countless hours in the greenhouse, assisting the palace gardeners.
That's where she fell in love with everything green.
Bringing her passion to Armathea gave her immense pleasure.
“I’m impressed,” said Reyne.
And just like that her nervousness evaporated and her disappointment over not gaining any information about Valeria was forgotten. “On this side, I grow vegetables,” she beamed and pointed to the right, then pivoted, pointing to the opposite side, “and on this side, I grow herbs and berries.”
Reyne tilted his head back, inhaling. “Smells wonderful.”
“It does,” she agreed, her chest swelling with pride. “In the back, we have several fruit trees. Not long ago, I started cultivating rare flowers.”
Once she started talking, she couldn’t stop.
Kendra babbled as she gave Reyne the whole tour, pointing out different types of produce, focusing on her favorites.
In return, Reyne asked her many interesting and thought-provoking questions, especially as they related to water use.
She was stunned. In her experience, most men found plants rather boring.
But not this man, Reyne appeared fascinated, which made her feel…giddy?
Reaching the far end of the bay, she moved towards a metal cart sitting next to a gnarled fruit tree growing in a huge barrel-sized pot.
Scattered on cart were various gardening tools and a small potted plant featuring vivid yellow flowers with red and white striped spear-shaped petals.
“This is my newest project.” She pointed at the unique bloom.
“It’s a rare lily I acquired a couple of weeks ago. Beautiful, isn’t it?”
Reyne’s gaze swept over her, and not the flower. “Yes,” he admitted in a deep, husky rasp. “Very beautiful.”
His translucent gaze was so intense, Kendra found herself unable to break eye contact.
“And…” she almost blurted 'deadly' to hide her sudden bout of shyness. Thankfully, she stopped herself in time. The last thing she needed was a long-winded lecture from Odin about how they were on the run from the Dracarians and couldn’t afford to spill any of Armathea's secrets.
Reyne raised a brow, waiting.
“And, um…valuable to the right people.” She picked up a random tool, inspecting the damp soil clinging to it.
“So, what do you do with all of this?” Reyne questioned, gesturing around the room with a wide sweep of his arm.
Kendra perked up and dropped the forgotten tool. “We trade or sell some, but we keep most for ourselves. Tia loves making fruity concoctions to mix with her homemade rum.”
“Rum?”
“Oh yes, Tia makes it herself. It is very, um…spicy.” Her lips tugged at the edges. “Perhaps I can smuggle you some.” That's what a hostess would do, right? And she planned to be the best.
“I would love some rum.”
“I’ll see what I can do,” she promised. Tia had a stash in the war room she could snag. “Would you like to see what we do for entertainment? A match is about to start.”
“I've been stranded for days so some entertainment would be nice.”
“Alright, follow me.” Together, they departed the cargo bay. Kendra led him to the athletic room that was located on the opposite end of the darkened corridor. “This is where the enjoyment begins.”
The door slid open. Dominating the center of the spacious room, was a sunken circular fighting ring, encased within a steel and glass railing.
Around it, long benches formed a semicircle where a bunch of crew members lounged.
Speculations about the coming match and playful banter floated through the air.
As Kendra and Reyne entered, curious eyes shifted towards them. Kendra did her best to ignore their stares and focused on Reyne. “The next round should start soon.”
“What kind of fight is it? Fists? Combat daggers? Swords?”
Kendra laugh-giggled at his hopeful expression. “Nothing that violent, I promise. Not usually, anyway. It’s an old Dracarian training simulation that we turned into a game. Keeps us from getting bored while we roam the galaxy.”
“What is this game called?”
“The Game."
Reyne cocked his head and studied her as if she was puzzle he was trying to figure one. “That’s it? Just ‘The Game’?”
“Well, um…yes.” She shrugged.
“Isn’t that kind of like naming your pet… Pet?”
Reyne’s expression turned so serious, she burst out laughing.
“What’s so amusing?” he inquired, his lips turned down in a slight frown.
“You. Of course,” she replied with a lingering chuckle. “You’re on Armathea. Surrounded by a bunch of ex-convicts. We tend to find humor in everything.”
“Does ‘The Game’ have any rules?”
“Yes, just one. Try not to injure your opponent.”
“Try? That’s it?”
“Afraid so.” She approached the wall on the far side of the ring, where several wooden sparring staffs were horizontally arranged on built-in brackets.
“The goal of the game is to win as many points as you can before the timer runs out. Game play is usually set for ten minutes.” She selected a five-foot-long staff and handed it to Reyne.
Reyne reached for it, his lean fingers curving around the smooth wooden staff that was about two inches in diameter and weighed about five pounds.
Kendra stared at his strong hands. His fingers were long and lean with perfectly manicured nails.
He had beautiful hands, she thought, admiring their subtle strength.
The staff easily fit into his large palm.
“You can’t see them now,” she explained, hoping she was making sense. “But at the start of the match, each staff has eight holographic donut-like rings on it. They are about a half-inch thick, and an inch wider than the ash-wood staff. There are four on each end.”
She pointed to the tip. “One here.” Next, she pointed to a spot six inches from the end. “Another one here.” She pointed to two other spots, one foot from the end and the other a foot and a half from the end. “The same for the other side. With me so far?”
“I think I’ve got it.”
“If the other player touches one of your rings during the match, the ring disappears and the other player is awarded the point, and vice versa. The object is to hit, or ‘knock off’ as we call it, as many rings from your opponent’s staff as you can in the allotted time.
The hard part is not losing any of your own in the process. ”
“So, both offence and defense?”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds easy enough.”
Kendra smiled, finding his comment amusing.
“One would think, but trust me, it’s not as easy as it seems. Not only is your opponent actively trying to knock off your rings, but it’s also easy to knock them off yourself, just by accidentally touching one with your hand or your leg.
It’s also easy to drop your own staff. I’ve done it.
And you usually lose most of your remaining rings when that happens. "
“Then what?” he questioned. “When you lose all of your rings?”
“Game over. You lose.” She retrieved the staff and placed it back into the bracket on the wall. “Also, if you accidentally step past the foul line, you forfeit all your rings.” She pointed to the red line that circled the ring several feet from the edge.
“That’s harsh.” His chuckle was deep, husky.