CHAPTER SIX

Sometime later, Ginny stopped in the hall just outside the briefing room. She spared a smile for her master-at-arms, Chief Henriette Sonata, who stood ready to announce her into the room. Tigh had escorted her this far, but Ginny wanted a chance to talk to her bridge crew first, before he met them.

“Just give me half a standard, okay?”

Tigh leaned down to plant a firm kiss on her lips. Ginny was very conscious of their audience, but she’d grown a bit more used to Tigh’s dominant ways over the past days. He wouldn’t let her out of his sight without some token of his care—a kiss or hug or something even more demonstrative. He smiled down at her as he let her go. She could feel the reluctance in his lingering fingers as he slowly let go of her hand. They’d been together almost constantly since that fateful night when they’d first made love. It was a bit overwhelming, but when she was with him, everything just felt so right, she didn’t question it too closely.

“Half a standard, Ginny. That’s all I can take.”

His low voice rumbled through her veins. Only Chief Sonata’s amused grin kept Ginny from running back into his arms as Tigh walked away on quiet feet. She nodded to her crew member, and Chief Sonata opened the door, calling for attention from the assembled crew.

Ginny straightened her uniform jacket as she walked into the room, receiving the salutes that were her due as a ship’s captain. Though they were informal when working, her crew was highly disciplined and respectful of the traditions that went with wearing the fleet uniform. Ginny stepped to the front of the room and put them at ease, immediately feeling the curiosity and excitement coming from the assembled women.

“Sit down, everyone,” Ginny said on a sigh. “I’ve got a lot to tell you.”

“Then it’s true? You and the jit emperor?” Tiggy O’Roarke, the finest coms specialist Ginny had ever worked with, asked.

Chief Sonata ambled in from securing the door and smiled widely. “I can confirm it.” All eyes turned to the grinning woman. “He walked her down here. And may I say, ma’am,” the other woman winked at Ginny, “hubba, hubba. That is one fine lookin’ man.”

Laughs met the chief’s outrageous statement, and Ginny was glad Henriette, called Henny by her friends, had broken the ice. Ginny laughed with them as they all sat around the conference table.

“Thanks for that assessment, Chief. He is rather handsome, I think, but you’ll all get to see for yourselves in a half standard hour. I’ve asked him to come meet you.”

“Holy crap!” Tiggy started fussing with her curly hair. “We’re meeting royalty? And me, having a bad hair day.”

“Tig, you’re always having a bad hair day,” one of the others teased. “Get over it.”

“Don’t worry. Tigh’s a really great guy. Not stuck up at all, even if he is the emperor now, since his brother’s death.”

“Is it true he knew nothing about what Elius did?” Cat, her medical officer, asked with concerned eyes.

Ginny nodded gravely. “Tigh was training to become a priest. He was cut off from jit society for years and had no knowledge of what his brother did until he was called back from the Zenai mountain.”

“Zenai?” Henny asked, her pale blue eyes narrowing. “I’ve heard about them. They’re supposed to be like the ancient monks from Earth who created the fighting forms. Zenain priests are supposed to be some of the toughest warriors the jits have to offer—and that’s saying something. But it’s said they won’t fight for anything other than in defense of others. Their path is the path of the protector. Honorable folk, they are.”

Ginny knew Henny had a deep interest in all forms of martial arts and was herself a ninth degree black belt in the ancient art of jujitsu. She led the exercise classes all of the crew enjoyed, training with them in the ancient ways. She was also a galaxy class competitive fighter and had been from a very young age. Henny had a small mountain of medals, ribbons and trophies in her locker from all the competitions she won against men and women alike before the virus.

When the virus started killing off the males, Henriette, like Ginny herself, had answered the call and joined the fleet. Ginny had known Henny most of her life. They’d grown up together and joined the military together but hadn’t served on the same ship until Ginny’s second assignment. They’d worked together to save their small ship after a particularly nasty engagement with the enemy, during which the captain and most of the bridge crew were killed.

That had been Ginny’s first taste of command, when she brought that ship limping back to port. Subsequently, when Ginny had been given her first real command, she’d been able to hand-pick her bridge crew. There was no question in her mind when it came time to pick a master-at-arms. Henny was the only woman she wanted in that key position of defense and strategy.

“I believe Tigh has been very honest and forthright with me. I’m beginning to trust him.”

“You’re carrying his baby,” the doctor said quietly, “aren’t you?”

Ginny nodded, unable to hide the smile or the tears gathering in her eyes. Getting pregnant was something most women wanted, but few were lucky enough to experience in this post-virus world.

“I am pregnant,” Ginny confirmed, “and I’m going to Solaris with Tigh and his crew when they leave here. I wanted to offer you all the same chance.” She stood and started to pace—a nervous habit she’d picked up while captaining the Sarasota. “The jits have few women and are completely devastated by the loss. I really think that my going there, my being pregnant, will give them hope for the future and give us all a chance for peace.”

“We heard the emperor’s speech before the Council. They’ve been broadcasting it over and over on all the news streams. Do you really think it’ll work?” Tiggy asked.

Ginny nodded. “I do. Think of it. A chance to bring a lasting peace after centuries of warfare. A chance to change both our races for the better and leave two thriving galaxies to our children.”

“Not to mention all those hot, horny men tripping all over themselves to get into our panties.” Henny’s earthy humor caught Ginny off guard and made her laugh out loud, as did all the women. Leave it to Henny to break the tension and bring them back to the nitty-gritty.

“There is that. And ladies, if Tigh is anything to judge by,” Ginny blushed hotly, “I think you’ll enjoy every minute of it. So what do you say? Think about it? I’d like to have some female company on Solaris, and Tigh’s promised we could find useful, satisfying work for anyone who doesn’t want to sit around all day eating bon bons. There are a multitude of tasks for which the male jit’suku are not prepared. They’re muddling through, but I think they’ll be glad to see women of a compatible species, even if they were at war with humanity for centuries.”

“I’ll go, Captain. There’s nothing holding me here, and you’ll need someone to watch your back.” Henny was the first to answer, and it warmed Ginny’s heart.

“Thank you for that, Chief. Look, I don’t need your answers right now. I want you to think about this carefully before you decide. I want you to meet some of the jit’suku men and study up on what we might encounter once we reach Solaris.”

A discreet knock sounded on the door before it opened. Tigh walked in, his handsome face smiling for her alone, it seemed, though he looked around at the assembled women. A few tried to stand, but he motioned them to sit with a gentle smile.

 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Tigh stood next to Ginny, unable to keep from touching her. He put one arm at her waist, but it wasn’t enough. He wanted to draw her back into his embrace, but he knew that would be too much, too soon, for her crew and perhaps for her, as well.

“Your timing is impeccable, actually. I was just going to tell them what we had cooked up for tonight.” Ginny leaned back against the small credenza against the wall and smiled up at him. “Why don’t you do the honors?”

Her smile warmed him from the inside out. By the Goddess, this woman was special. Each time he saw her, he wanted her more.

“Gladly.” He turned toward the gathered women, taking just a moment to clear his mind. Ginny so easily stole his wits, he’d have to be careful. “I’m Tigh,” he introduced himself simply. It would be better, he decided, to be informal with these women. If the relationship between them and Ginny was anything like the relationship he’d had with his own crew, informality would be the order of the day to winning them over.

“Oh!” Ginny stood and came forward. “Let me do the introductions first.” She fussed a bit as she blushed, and Tigh was enchanted. “Sorry. Um, this is my executive officer, Lieutenant Sally Darlington.” She indicated a brown-haired woman who sat in the first seat on the right. Ginny then continued around the table. “Doctor Cat Heller.” A dark-haired woman with startling green eyes nodded at him. “Ensign Krysta Verity, navigator, Ensign Tiggy O’Roarke on comms, Chief Engineer Justina Soto, Chief Henny Sonata, master-at-arms, and Chief Penny Amato, payload master.”

“Ladies.” Tigh nodded at them, receiving smiles of varying friendliness in return. “I’ve looked forward to meeting you all. By now, you know what dire straits my people are in. Ginny has consented to be my wife.” He reached for her hand and held it close to his heart. “We plan to return to Solaris within the week, and I think Ginny would like some female company on the trip, as well as on Solaris. There are few women left among my people and little hope. Ginny represents hope. Hope for my people and for the future. Hope that we can salvage something out of the ruin that we drove ourselves into.” He had to fight against the sadness that always threatened to envelop him when he thought of what Elius had done to their people.

Ginny squeezed his hand, and his gaze met hers. She was so very special, so very perfect. She didn’t yet realize how much she’d come to mean to him in such a short time, but she would. He’d spend the rest of his life proving his love to her.

“To that end,” he continued, knowing the women watched him carefully, “I’d like to invite you all to dinner tonight. My crew will be there, also. It will be a chance for you to meet and mingle, to discuss anything and everything in a casual atmosphere. I want you to learn about us, so you can make an informed decision on whether to stay here or come with us to Solaris.”

Ginny stepped up to the table. “This is strictly casual. No uniforms. No fancy dresses. No state dinner theatrics. I’ve ordered a buffet in the BOQ conference room and reserved it for us for the night.”

“Roger that, Valkyrie,” the one called Tiggy said with a cheery grin.

Tigh’s ears perked up, and for a moment, he thought he must be hearing things. “What did you just call her?”

Tiggy looked up at him in surprise. “That’s her call sign. Valkyrie.” Then the small woman blushed. “It’s from an ancient Earth myth. The Valkyries were some kind of handmaidens to ancient gods. They were warrior women who would swoop down out of the sky to reward the valiant and carry them off to heaven or some such. Our captain earned the name for the way she always seems to swoop in, out of nowhere, to save the day.”

Tigh’s heart nearly stopped in awe. “Your human legend is very similar to a closely held prophecy of the Zenai. We call such women Velkir, and all Zenain priests await the day when the Mother Goddess sends them to our aid.”

Tiggy laughed innocently. “Well, your wait is over. The Valkyrie and her crew are bound for Solaris.”

Tigh looked stunned as Ginny stepped forward. “Now wait a minute, you haven’t given this enough thought. I don’t want any snap answers, and I won’t hold you to any decisions you make now, without meeting the men first.”

“Come on, Captain, you know we would follow you anywhere,” the master-at-arms said cavalierly. “Did you really expect we would let you go off on your own?”

“Oh, Henny.” Tears gathered in Ginny’s eyes. “You guys are the greatest. But my decision stands. Meet the men first, then think over your decisions very carefully. You can change your mind right up until the moment we depart.”

“No need to think any further, Captain. I’m going with you.” Henny laid her palms flat on the table in a decisive move.

“All right, Chief. I’ll take that under advisement.” The mischievous light in Ginny’s eyes spoke volumes of her affection for these women, and her master-at-arms, in particular. Ginny turned her smiling face toward him, then back to her crew. “We have a long duty shift ahead of us then dinner. I suggest we get to work.”

Tigh had a lot to think about. He had to consult the nearest database of ancient Earth legends and talk to a few of his men who also had Zenai training. This revelation of his future wife’s call sign could mean much more to him and his people than he previously thought. But he couldn’t say anything yet. He had to puzzle out the congruencies and possibilities before raising hopes among his crew and his people.

“I’ll leave you ladies to your duties then,” he spoke perfunctorily as he made to leave. He had a lot on his mind, but he couldn’t leave his woman without a parting kiss. She walked him to the doorway, and he pulled her into his arms. “I will see you tonight, if not sooner.”

“Tigh, I have work to do.”

“I know,” he said in a voice only she could hear, “but I can’t stay away from you for long. It’s a need I have to be in your presence.”

She ducked her head slightly. “I know how you feel. It’s the same for me. I don’t understand it, and I’m not sure I entirely like it.”

He kissed her cheek tenderly. “It is what it is. Such is the way between true mates. In time, perhaps, we’ll grow accustomed to it, but for now, I need to be near you.” He kissed her lips then, with just a hint of the passion he always felt now, just beneath the surface, when she was near. The other women in the room made their presence known with a few low whistles and hoots. Ginny pulled away, blushing beautifully. Tigh smiled as he leaned around her to wink at the assembled ladies. That they were comfortable enough to tease their captain said a lot for her style of leadership.

“I’ll see you ladies this evening.” With a parting wave for the crew and a last caress to Ginny’s soft cheek, he left. He had much to do before this evening.

 

Tigh found his most trusted adviser, Councilor Torm, in the library that had been made available to them.

“Tigh, my boy, it’s good to see you. Though all of us are envious that you have found your mate so easily among the humans.” Torm eyed him suspiciously. “She is your true mate, right?”

Tigh nodded. “Without doubt. She is the only one for me. I would not lie about such an important thing as that. In fact, you know as a Zenai novitiate, I cannot lie.”

“A rare thing in an emperor.” Torm sat heavily at the table he’d been using as Tigh joined him. “So, why have you left her side? Newly mated, it is very difficult to be parted.”

“I’m experiencing that firsthand.” Tigh rolled his eyes as he called up a new display on the library table. “But she has work to do, future empress or not. Plus, I’ve just learned something that I need to research a bit more before we go home. Torm,” he sought the older man’s counsel, “do you know what the humans call my intended mate?”

Torm’s eyes narrowed. “Velkir-y.”

“You knew?” Tigh was shocked at the knowledge in the older man’s gaze.

“You didn’t?” Torm countered. “Ah, but then, you were stuck away on that mountain and never heard about the humans’ victories against some of our most talented captains. You never heard about the ace the humans called Velkir-y. At first, when intelligence reported her call sign, many thought it blasphemy. We thought the humans were taunting us deliberately. It caused many ship captains to go after her, targeting her and her ship, the Sarasota, specifically.” Torm sighed heavily. “Which, in turn, caused many of our ships to be lost.”

“She was that good?” Tigh felt his spine tingle in awe and a bit of fear at the idea of what his little mate had done in the war and how much danger she had been in.

Torm nodded. “She is that good. Her crew is the best the humans have to offer.”

Both men were silent as Tigh thought over the ramifications of the human ace captain being his true mate, and the best female crew being the first women to come to Solaris. If he didn’t know better, he’d think the ancient Zenain prophecy was coming to pass. But it had been many thousands of years since the Zenain priesthood had been formed to protect and preserve the teachings of the Zenai in preparation for a time when the ancient prophecy would be fulfilled. Tigh doubted that a prophecy of millennia could come to fruition during his time, but somehow… Somehow, all indicators seemed to point to that awful truth.

“They were not taunting us.” Tigh’s voice was low as he called up the human legends from the database. He turned the viewer to Torm, switching on the three-dimensional display. “They call her Valkyrie, after one of their own cultural myths.”

Torm read furiously through the material, as Tigh did. The parallels between the legendary warrior maidens of ancient Earth and the prophesied women of the Zenai were uncanny.

“The high priest must see this.”

“I agree.” Tigh called up all the data he could on Valkyries and saved it to a disposable chip until he could get it fed into the memory banks of his ship. If the prophecy really was coming to pass now, during his reign, this was only the beginning. Changes would be coming—some good, some ill—but change was certain. If this was the time prophesied all those thousands of years ago.

“Tigh, we must prepare ourselves, if what we suspect is true.” Torm gripped Tigh’s arm urgently.

“Yes, old friend. But tonight, we dine with the Velkir-y and her crew. It is the first step in getting to know them. The first step of many on what promises to be a long and winding path.”

“Goddess only knows where it will lead us.”

 

Ginny was kept busy all day, preparing reports and readying those who would replace her on Commandant Michael’s staff, now that she was definitely leaving with Tigh. She also spent time in meetings with Michael and several of the high councilors. They gave her advice on a multitude of subjects, each with their own individual perspectives. Most wanted her to gather intelligence on the true state of the jit’suku people, their defense capabilities, and the status of their fleet.

While there hadn’t been any attacks over the past several standard months, few were willing to accept that the war was truly over. There hadn’t been one final decisive battle to end it. For many, the lack of such a confrontation was troubling.

But Ginny was more than willing to give Tigh the benefit of the doubt, at least for the time being. She was coming to trust him in ways she never would have believed just a standard week before. Whether her judgment was impaired by the intensely physical relationship they shared, she couldn’t judge. She knew her objectivity was off when it came to Tigh. She accepted that as a consequence of their new relationship, though she tried desperately to keep her eyes open for any suspicious behavior.

After all, it wasn’t all that long ago since they had been bitter enemies. Enough jit’suku captains had tried to kill her that she was wary of any and all overtures from Tigh’s people. Yet, somehow, she couldn’t apply the same standards to him. It was as if her heart just wouldn’t let her see him as an enemy, even though her mind knew he now ruled over all the jit’suku forces.

Dinnertime came all too soon. Ginny rushed back to her quarters to freshen up and change into civilian clothes, but Tigh was there before her. He caught her off guard, pulling her into his arms as she entered the suite.

“I missed you,” he growled against her cheek before swooping in for a long, hard kiss.

Ginny couldn’t disagree with that sentiment. She welcomed his kiss enthusiastically, returning his ardor kiss for sweet kiss, lick for exciting lick, touch for arousing touch. Before she knew it, they were prone on the floor, just inside the door, and Tigh had half her clothes off. His own clothing followed close behind, flung across the room in wild abandon, the only concern on both of their minds how to get skin on skin as quickly and completely as possible.

They came together fast and hard. Ginny was breathless with desire as Tigh joined their bodies together. There was no waiting. No finesse. Just a stark fury of need. She felt it just as strongly as he apparently did because it took only a few powerful thrusts before she was keening on the edge of total insanity.

She cried out as she came, and a moment later, he joined her, groaning as her name fell from his lips. She might’ve blacked out for a moment, because the next thing she knew, Tigh was lifting her in his strong arms, carrying her toward the bed. He placed her on it, but she sat up, recalling her schedule prior to this unplanned—and very pleasurable—interlude.

“What time is it?” She looked at her chronometer, cursing at the numbers she read there. “Damn. We’re going to be late.”

 

As it turned out, Ginny and Tigh walked in only a few minutes late to the dinner she’d set up earlier. She was on the receiving end of a few pointed looks from her crew, but if the men gave Tigh any guff, it was well hidden. Or, perhaps, his guys were too well disciplined to let their thoughts show.

All of Tigh’s men were warriors born while Ginny’s crew were women who had chosen to do other things with their lives before the virus. They’d turned to soldiering as a second choice, in a crisis, and it was probably easier for them to remember how to be civilians than it was for the jits.

The meal was set up buffet-style so everyone could mingle. It was working as Ginny had planned, for the most part, except for Henny.

“You’re not mingling, Chief Sonata.” Ginny stopped by Henny’s post against the wall on her circuit of the room. She’d noticed Henny holding back, watching all from her position against the wall. One of the jits had, in fact, done the same on the other side of the room.

“Sorry, ma’am. Just getting the lay of the land.”

Ginny snorted. “Likely story. Get some food, Hen. That’s an order.”

“I’ll move when he does,” Henny’s eyes were locked on her counterpart across the room. The man was watching her, too, and Ginny sensed a grudging sort of respect pulsing between the two.

“I’ll ask Tigh to get your friend over there moving. Does that satisfy you? I’d hate to see this devolve into a pissing contest, because you know, he’d win. It’s just a matter of equipment.”

Henny laughed out loud as Ginny intended. When she began walking, Henny fell in step beside her. They stopped by the buffet, and Ginny supervised while Henny filled a plate. Tall and muscular, Henny was a woman who ate. She didn’t pick at her food like smaller, less physically active women.

The dinner, while not an unqualified success, certainly went a long way toward making the women more comfortable in the presence of the jit’suku men. There were even a few budding friendships, if Ginny didn’t miss her guess. Maybe even a romance or two that could be in the works.

Ginny wouldn’t have thought it possible, but then again, she’d never really seen most of her crew in social situations with men before. They’d mostly come together as a group after the virus had decimated human males. The few males that were left were spread out over vast distances, so a gathering like this was unheard of, even in military circles.

Parties with near-equal numbers of males and females had been the norm when they’d all been growing up, but since the virus, there were always way more women than men and few occasions to celebrate much of anything. As a result, while the dinner was a good first step, it was also more than a bit awkward.

However, one positive thing did come out of it. Every one of her crew decided to go with her to the jit’suku galaxy. Now that they’d had a chance to meet the men in person, nobody had changed their minds. In fact, some were even more convinced than ever that they would like to come along.