Chapter Eight

Earth clothes were very helpful. If Xan had been wearing a standard Coalition uniform, he would be having a lot of trouble hiding his reaction to Gwen at the moment.

No one had ever affected him as she did. The simplest touch sent fire blazing through his body. And the softest smile warmed him in ways he didn’t understand.

Pair-bonding. He’d seen others experience it, but had never thought he’d be so lucky himself. Especially to find one of the incredibly strong bonds his people were forming with Earthlings.

Could this be what that was like? It was the only explanation that made any sense.

Gwen’s eyes were wide, fixed on the viewport. As they rose through the atmosphere, her gaze never left the stars.

He had felt that kind of wonder before. He still felt it every time he launched out into the dazzling star fields before them.

As the stars became brighter and more distinct, she let out a little “Oh…” that was more breath than sound. Her grip on his hand tightened.

Xan tore his own gaze from her for long enough to make sure the course he’d entered was being followed within acceptable parameters. He couldn’t wait to get her in a skimmer and show her the rest of her solar system. The shuttle was a good enough vessel for transports, but was a bit clunky for anything more than ship to planet transfer.

With everything going as it should, he let himself enjoy the view—and Gwen’s reaction to it.

She was leaning forward in her seat. Her eyes kept getting wider as the ship neared the moon. She bit her lip, and a tear spilled down her cheek.

Xan understood that, too. At least, he thought he did.

The freedom of being out in space. The limitless potential of what they could do and where they could go…

She wiped away the tear and sniffed, then glanced over at him briefly.

“Sorry,” she said.

“Don’t be.”

She smiled, but looked down instead of back to the viewport, pulling her hand away. Was she feeling self-conscious? He wanted her to be at ease with him.

“Gwen,” he said, unsure what he wanted to say, but knowing he wanted to offer comfort. He shook his head and opened his arms. “Come here.”

She only hesitated for a moment, then unstrapped herself and rose. He grasped her waist and urged her to sit on his lap. His heart sped as she leaned into his chest and he pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her.

“It’s just so… So much,” she said. “So beautiful.”

He leaned in close to her ear and whispered, “It’s only going to get better.”

She laughed while wiping another tear away. He could feel her relax further into his embrace.

For a moment, he closed his eyes and let himself breathe her in. Her scent, her warmth. He tightened his grasp, and she leaned her head against his.

“Gwen.” He hadn’t meant to say her name, but it was just…instinct. All of his reactions to her felt more natural than anything he’d experienced before.

He opened his eyes as she turned to him, her gaze locked on his lips now. They leaned closer, their breath mingling.

Something small and orange darted up next to them and leapt onto the top of the controls. Gwen startled, then laughed as Bandit turned around to face them.

Xan swore the cat made a face, sticking his tongue out and narrowing his eyes. His ears pressed back flat on his head, and he quickly turned back to the viewport.

“I think we made him uncomfortable,” she said.

Xan laughed, then shifted a bit in his seat. He was more than a little uncomfortable himself, his body once again reacting to her proximity and the near-kiss they’d shared. Having her close was worth it.

The ship rounded the far side of the moon and Gwen gasped, lurching forward. Xan held on to her hips to make sure she didn’t fall off his lap. She leaned on the top of the control panel, where Bandit was sitting.

“Oh my God,” she said. “Oh my God!”

The mining base had come into view, its two black towers spearing out from the depths of the two adjoining craters where it had been built. Domes made of transparent material set in triangular frames covered both craters together, looking a bit like the number ‘8’ from above.

Causeways linked both towers at various levels, letting people move materials and themselves between the structures. Little lights slid over them as the transports traveled back and forth. A few small shuttles rose or dropped in the shafts surrounding the towers.

Gwen half-rose as they flew over the structure, trying to keep it in view as long as she could. She sat back and stared at him, her eyes still wide.

“How long have you guys been here?” she asked. “And what are you doing in the moon?”

“We’re mining ores that we’re using to build more dome worlds in the Sol system and to improve our bases and habitations on Earth. There’s a town in particular that’s going to serve as a place for aliens to mingle with Earthlings and learn your ways.”

“Will they all look like you? I mean, like us?”

“Not all of them. But the Earthlings in Harbor know about us and the town agreed to be a testing ground, in exchange for the lifestyle improvements we could offer them.”

She was quiet for a moment, then said, “Maybe we should visit there as well. I’d like to meet these fellow Earthlings and pick their brains about that choice.”

“Absolutely. But first…” He pointed to the viewport.

Gwen turned around and gasped again.

The Kindred colony had come into view. This single dome was built in the same fashion as a true dome world, except it was like none he’d ever seen before.

Far from being sparse and utilitarian, Kindred was instead filled with parks and trees and buildings that flowed perfectly into the natural landscape. The buildings were white or brown, with plants growing next to the windows and on the rooftops.

One of the Earthlings in Harbor had been teaching them about vertical farming, and the Vegans had put her lessons to good use. Many of the colony’s buildings had Antarean tunnels made of packed earth wrapped around them, which also had plants growing from them that provided food and oxygen.

Xan wondered what Gwen would think of the “giant ant people” when she met her first Antarean. So far, all the Earthlings who had met them had been frightened. Somehow, he doubted she’d be the same.

They were quiet as they passed over the colony. Gwen again rose, gazing down at the lake and small waterfall in the main park. He felt a tremor sweep through her as she sat back down.

“That place is beautiful,” she said, her voice raspy with emotion.

“It is. Vegans, Sadirians, Earthlings, and Antareans live there in harmony. We worked together to build it. I always think of how it proves that we’re capable of so much more when we work together.”

She nodded, then leaned back against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, enjoying holding her again.

Bandit looked back at them over his shoulder, then let out a little chuff and shook his head.

“Okay, I swear, that cat just gave us a look,” Gwen said.

“What kind of look?”

“A judgey look. Normal Earth cats… Okay, I guess they do that, too, from what I’ve seen on Internet videos. But he still seems not-quite-normal.”

Gwen jumped as Cyan suddenly said, “He is a completely normal Earth cat.”

Honestly, Cyan had surprised Xan as well. She was standing right next to them. The Vegan sat in the empty seat and folded her hands in her lap.

“Cripes, Cyan,” Gwen said. “Next time wear a bell or something.”

Cyan cocked her head. “Why would I wear a bell?”

“So we can hear you coming,” Gwen said. “It’s just a joke, really. On Earth, we sometimes put bells on cat collars so that we can keep track of where they are.”

“An interesting concept,” Cyan said.

“You should fit them with trackers so that we can tell where they are on the ship,” Xan said. “Technically, Bandit and his sisters belong to Marq, our commander. His cat, Meredith, had them unexpectedly. He’s always losing track of them and they sometimes get into systems they aren’t supposed to.”

Gwen reached out and picked up Bandit, then settled into Xan’s lap once more. She kissed the kitten’s head, and said, “Are you a naughty kitten?”

Bandit chuffed, then meowed a few times. Cyan giggled.

“What did he say?” Xan asked.

“He said that Queenie is the naughty one,” Cyan said.

“Really?” Xan shook his head. “I figured it would be Patches, since she’s the one that was sabotaging the ship for attention.”

“Sabotaging the ship?” Gwen leaned to the side so she could look at him. “But it’s safe now, right?”

“Of course,” Cyan said. “Nika, the ship’s chief engineer, has repaired all the damage. I have instructed Patches not to do anything like that in the future.”

“And you think she’ll listen to you?” Gwen turned her attention back to Bandit, scratching his cheeks. “Then these really aren’t like Earth cats.”

“What do you mean?” Xan asked.

“Well, cats do what they want,” Gwen said. “It’s kind of their defining trait. They see a glass on a counter, they knock it off. They want to get into something they aren’t supposed to, they do it anyway.”

“Okay, that sounds just like Queenie,” Xan said.

Bandit turned to him and gave a sad-sounding meow. It rose at the end like a question.

“Don’t worry, Bandit,” Xan said. “It doesn’t sound like you at all.”

The kitten settled back in Gwen’s arms, as if that had satisfied him. Xan started petting his back, and the kitten purred loudly in approval.

A sudden wave of peace washed over Xan. It made goosebumps rise on his skin. Holding Gwen, feeling her and Bandit as they shared that moment, was perhaps one of the most perfect in his life up to that point.

He barely dared to acknowledge the thought, but had a feeling that there would be even better moments to come. As long as she was in his life—as well as the rambunctious kitten.

“We are approaching the Reckoning.” Cyan reached out to one of the controls, shattering the calm.

“Don’t you touch that,” Xan said. He quickly locked down the controls on Cyan’s side of the shuttle.

Cyan glared at him while Gwen arched an eyebrow.

“Cyan is…not a good pilot,” Xan said. “Or driver. Just, don’t let her control a vehicle and we’ll all be safer.”

Cyan let out a loud hmph and crossed her arms. “I am a perfectly adequate driver,” she said.

“Sure,” Xan said. “Just let me take us in.” He reached around Gwen, working the controls to fine-tune the shuttle’s trajectory.

“I don’t see any—” She gasped as they passed through the projection field masking the presence of the Reckoning and space station Outreach.

“Oh wow,” she said. “That’s… That’s a lot of guns.”

Xan flinched inwardly. He almost wished that she wasn’t so observant. It was probably too much to hope for that she wouldn’t pick up on the menacing number of glowing weapons arrays and sharp, angular firing devices. The Reckoning was designed to intimidate, after all.

“The ship was built while the High Council was still in charge,” Xan said. “They used their power to bring almost all of the sentient beings in the galaxy into the Coalition of Planets.”

“Based on what I’m seeing here, I’m going to guess not all of them came willingly,” Gwen said.

“It wasn’t always the Reckoning that convinced them,” he said. “One of the reasons it’s so hard for us to trust Scorpiians is how the High Council used them to get planets that resisted their influence to fall in line.”

“Did they have the Scorpiians take out planetary leaders and pose as them and sign on or something?” Gwen asked.

“Assassination was one of the less destructive methods,” Xan said. “Agents of the High Council have been known to sabotage entire planetary ecosystems to bring the sentients living there under their power.”

“Wow,” Gwen said.

“You said you wanted to know,” Xan said. “I won’t hold anything back from you. But please believe me when I say that things have changed. The High Council is gone.”

She turned to meet his gaze, and their connection sizzled even with that contact. Maybe she felt it, too, because after a moment, she nodded, then turned back to the viewport.

“How soon until the space station is done?” Gwen asked.

Cyan handled this question. “Peri estimates it will be complete within seven Earth months.”

“I wish it was farther along,” Gwen murmured. “But from the sounds of it, I’ll learn more on the Reckoning anyway.” She held Bandit close to her chest, and said, “Let’s do this.”