13. Daisy
Daisy
“I’m merely wishing you well on your journey,” Barzella says pleasantly.
I look up at Hakan, who’s gazing at Barzella intently, clearly on high alert.
Barzella chuckles. “Relax, big guy. I’ve met her kind before.”
Hakan’s eyes narrow. “Where?”
“Right here,” Barzella replies, gesturing toward the cafe.
Hakan says quietly, “What you think you know is —“
“Accurate,” Barzella says.
For a long moment, the two of them engage in s staring contest, neither of them budging.
“Listen,” I say, unable to bear the tension. “Enough staring. You two need to take a breath and chill.”
Barzella looks at me and lets out a pleased laugh. “Small and soft, but so much courage.”
“Barzella,” Hakan says, keeping his voice low and calm. “Whatever you know or think you know, it’s best for everyone if you leave it alone.”
Barzella shrugs. “Maybe so. Or … Daisy and I can sit down and have a nice cup of tea.”
My eyes widen. “Tea?”
“There,” she says, pointing to a nearby table. “I’ll make us a nice pot.”
I glance at Hakan, who’s still clearly extremely wary. Barzella shakes her head slowly.
"I'm not going to harm her, warrior. I just want to talk. Female to female." Her orange eyes fix on me with unsettling intensity. "Unless you're afraid to let your … friend out of your sight?"
It's clearly a challenge, and I can see Hakan's jaw tighten. But he's too smart to rise to the bait.
“If Daisy is okay with staying, then I can go to the warehouse for our supplies while the two of you chat,” he says carefully. He looks at me. “Is that okay with you?"
“I’m fine with that," I assure him, though I'm not entirely certain that's true.
He hesitates, then nods. But before he leaves, he leans close and whispers, "If you need me, reach out telepathically. The boys can relay the message."
"I will," I promise.
He gives Barzella a warning look — which she returns with an amused smile — then heads into the marketplace.
“Have a seat," Barzella commands. I sit down at the table and Barzella returns with two cups and a steaming pot of tea. The smell is floral and slightly spicy. She pours a cup and slides it to me.
"It's from Sorvana and compatible with most species."
I take a cautious sip and find that it’s delicious — sweet and warming, with complex flavors I can't quite identify.
"Thank you," I say.
She settles across from me, her orange eyes studying me with unnerving focus. "You're not the first of your kind I've met."
My heart skips. "You've met others?"
"Three." She takes a sip of her own tea. “Four, including you. Different hair, different eye colors, different skin tones. But clearly the same species.”
“Tell me about them.”
Barzella smiles. “The first was a healer. She set up an impromptu medical clinic and treated more than a dozen beings before her warrior dragged her away. The second is a teacher — she helped my niece with her algebra homework. The third — I don’t know what her role was on your home planet— but she has a warrior’s spirit. ”
The words tumble out before I can stop them. “When we met them, were they okay?"
“They were fine. A bit overwhelmed and uncertain, perhaps, but doing their best to be strong.” Barzella’s expression is difficult to read. “Your kind is ... interesting. Fragile-looking, but with more spine than beings twice your size."
"We do our best," I say, trying for levity.
"Where do you come from?" she asks bluntly. "What world produces females like you?"
I hesitate. The Commander's warning echoes in my mind — the importance of keeping Earth's location secret from the Grokkans.
But Barzella isn't a Grokkan. And I sense — the way you sometimes just know things about people — that she's trustworthy.
I pause. “It’s just that….”
“I get it,” she says. “You’re involved in something important.”
I gaze into her eyes, trying to decide if I can trust her. “That might be the case, yes.”
She's quiet for a moment, processing this. "Do you have family on your planet? People waiting for you?"
The question hits harder than I expected. "No. My parents died a few years ago. I'm an only child. No other family to speak of."
"Friends?"
I think about my life on Earth — the long hours at work, the colleagues I was friendly with but never close to, the friends from college I'd lost touch with, the empty apartment I came home to every night.
"Not really," I admit. "I worked a lot. Didn't have much time for a social life."
"Sounds lonely," Barzella observes.
"It was," I say quietly. "I didn't realize how lonely until…." I trail off.
"Until you met him," she finishes. "Until you found something worth having."
I nod, not trusting my voice.
Barzella refills my tea, her movements surprisingly graceful for someone so large and powerful. “I see the way he looks at you. Like you're the most precious thing in the galaxy."
Heat creeps into my cheeks. "We haven't known each other long."
"Time is irrelevant when it comes to the paxana bond." She leans forward. "That's what the Kravans call it. The mate bond. It's supposed to be sacred, unbreakable. But I’ve always believed it only forms between Kravans."
I think back to what the Commander shared about the Kravan High Council and how the council lied to generations of warriors. “You aren’t the only one who thought that,” I tell her. “Turn out that was a lie.”
Her eyebrows rise in surprise. “You know this — how?”
“Information recently uncovered.”
She's quiet for a long moment, her fingers drumming on the bar. When she speaks again, her voice is softer. "And you? Are you forming a bond with Hakan?"
"Yes," I admit. "I feel … connected to him in a way that doesn't make logical sense. We've known each other for just a few days, but when I'm with him, I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Barzella nods. “It was apparent with the others of your kind as well. When it’s there, you can’t not see it. Two beings just ... fitting together. Like they were made for each other."
"Do Cordallans have something like that?"
She nods. “We call it the flame-match. When two warriors meet who are perfectly suited for each other, who can fight side by side and share a bed with equal passion." Her expression turns wistful. "I haven't found mine yet. Probably never will."
The loneliness in her voice catches me off-guard. This fierce, powerful woman who runs an entire spaceport — she's lonely too.
"I hope you do," I say sincerely. "Find your flame-match, I mean."
She snorts, but I can see she's touched. "You're kind. A welcome quality in these troubled times."
“The galaxy seems harsh enough without people making it worse."
"Spoken like a healer," Barzella observes. "Or teacher. Or whatever you did on your world."
"Social worker," I tell her. "I helped families — mostly homeless families — find housing and stability."
“Helping those in need." She nods approvingly. "No wonder Hakan was drawn to you. Kravan warriors have a weakness for compassionate females."
Before I can respond, she asks the key question that I’ve been asking myself.
"Do you want to go back? To wherever you’re from?"
The question hangs in the air between us, heavy with implications.
Do I want to go back?
Three days ago, the answer would have been an immediate, desperate yes. Earth is my home, the only world I've ever known. It's familiar, safe, understandable.
But now?
“I….” I’m about to say more when I see Hakan approaching the cafe, the hover cart behind him, heavy with supplies.
Barzella follows my gaze and chuckles. "You'll have to answer the question eventually, Daisy. Not for me, but for yourself."
Hakan reaches us, his eyes immediately checking me over, making sure I'm okay.
“Have you enjoyed your tea?" he asks.
“Delicious," I assure him. "Barzella and I have been having a very nice chat."
"About important things," Barzella adds cryptically. She stands, towering over me. “You have good taste, Kravan. Treat this female well."
"I intend to," Hakan replies, and the promise in his voice makes my pulse quicken.
Barzella's eyes move between us, and she smiles — a real smile, warm and genuine. "Now get out of here before I make you pay for your tea.”
We gather our packages and head to the docking bay. Hakan is quiet beside me, but I can sense his curiosity about what Barzella and I discussed.
“She’s met the other Earth women.” I tell him. “All three of them.”
He glances at me, surprised. “I didn’t know that.”
“She thinks we’re tied to something important.”
Hakan lets out a sigh. “I hope she can be trusted.”
"She's lonely," I add. "Underneath all that fierceness, she's lonely."
"Cordallans often are," Hakan replies. ”Their culture values strength above all else. Showing vulnerability is seen as weakness. It makes forming genuine connections difficult."
I take a deep breath, my heart thumping. Am I ready to do what I’m about to do?
You’re ready, I assure myself. Tell him. Tell him now.
I stop walking and he turns to face me.
“What is it, amavi?” he asks, his voice gentle.
I swallow back a surge of emotion. ”She asked if I wanted to go back to Earth."
Hakan goes still and his gaze grows intense. "What did you tell her?”
In the middle of this alien marketplace, surrounded by beings from a dozen different worlds, I look up at this blue-skinned warrior who's become the center of my universe.
“I didn’t answer her," I tell him, my heart pounding. “But now I’m ready. I don't want to go back to Earth. I want to stay here. With you. With the boys. With this life we're building together."
His amber eyes flare bright gold, and his hands come up to cup my face with infinite gentleness.
“Daisy….”
"I know this is fast," I continue, the words rushing out of me. "I know it seems crazy. But I've never been more certain of anything in my life."
"The bond," he says roughly. "It's the paxana. You're feeling it."
“I’m sure that’s right,” I acknowledge. "But it's more than that. It's the way you look at the boys like they're already yours. The way you fight to protect us. The way you make me feel safe and cherished and alive."
He leans down and kisses me, right there in the middle of the marketplace, and I don't care who sees. His lips are warm and firm, his kiss full of promise and possession and love.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard.
"We should get back to the ship," he murmurs against my lips. "Before I forget myself entirely."
I laugh, giddy with emotion. "Lead the way."
As we make our way back, I can feel the certainty — the joy — of my decision coursing through me.
I've made my choice.
Earth is my past.
Hakan, the boys, and the stars themselves are my future.